Test posting
by itsallgone
Summary: Don't expect much from this posting, it is just for me to test for my main account. This is my version of spell checking and format checking. Don't mind me. Once my other account gets past its new user period.
1. Chapter 1

The man wearily raised his sword to parry one of the many blades that were slicing through the air, targeting him. Twisting after the closest sword bounced off his blade, he widened his stance to take more of the heavy strikes. The more stable foundation would help him not to be battered around too much while he deflected the blades away from his body. Continually turning and taking in where each enemy was and when they seemed to prepare to strike, he was able to fend off the forces that were slowly beginning to surround him. A strike got within his defense and left a deep cut in his left shoulder. A muffled grunt of pain escaped his lips as he turned his body again to take the injured limb further from danger, still fending off attacks with his blade and keeping his feet moving. He managed to strike down three more, even as another handful joined the large number of enemies already surrounding him.

* * *

An immeasurable distance away, there was another man who held a youthful appearance, though his true age was something much more...well…more. He had been through more than his fair share of things in life and had seen a great number of things the few could fully even imagine. His experiences were gained through many different jumps to different times and places. The ability to move on to another place was always there, but he was able to hold some measure of control over when he moved to the next place. The result, however, was that the man who had now been around for a few millennia, could not complain that his life was boring in any sense of the word. The now easily recognized feeling that came about just before he allowed himself to be taken to a new place fell over him and he did a few quick charms to ensure he had everything he needed before he left the reality he was in. The feelings differed between traveling through time, traveling to a side reality or dimension, or going to a different galaxy within the universe. Confident that his belongings were secured, he stepped into the flow of magic that pulled him to his next adventure.

* * *

More hits landed as the man grew tired and the wounds were causing him to move slower and accumulate more. Blood was quickly seeping out of his body and a puddle was forming alarmingly fast beneath him on the ground as he still fought back. His hope of surviving this encounter was quickly dwindling as the enemies still continued to crowd him.

A bright light erupted off to the side and drew the attackers' attention away from him for a few moments and he took advantage of their distraction to strike down another five Urgals. His red blade slicing through arms and shoulders of his enemies, drawing cries from the victims of the infamous blade and bringing the Urgals' attention back to him. The bodies of the attackers quickly started dropping as a miniature light show danced through the darkness that had been disrupted just a few moments earlier. A man who looked to be in his mid twenties stepped over the bodies he had slain and continued clearing out the monstrous creatures and Brom allowed himself to drop heavily to the ground as the last few enemies were dispatched.

The man who had moved in to help kill the surrounding Urgals quickly stepped over to Brom and knelt next to him, his hand and was already beginning to move over Brom's battered body. A glow sprang up around his body for a few moments and a low curse was heard from the young man and he drew out a stick before making more intricate patterns over Brom's body and Brom could feel magic being pulled in around him and then being placed into the wounds on his body. The wounds quickly closed up and Brom could feel his internal muscles knitting back together as the pain diminished and became more bearable. Breathing a little easier, Brom was able to sit up and look over at his rescuer in wonder; this person had just healed all of his injuries, as far as he could tell, and yet he did not seem winded at all.

"Take it easy, friend," the young man stated as he quickly scanned the area they were in before looking back at Brom, "I may have been able to heal the injuries, but you should still go slowly at first. Unfortunately I can't bring your muscles back to full strength with the spells I had to use to patch you up quickly enough to keep you alive. You will need to slowly work your way back to what you could normally do." The young man stood up and began to move around the area that was now littered with Urgal bodies. He used his foot to roll one of the slain beings over and looked at it contemplatively. "What are these creature called?" The young man asked.

Brom coughed out a chuckle, "Urgals. What kind of rock have you been living under?"

"Ah. The question isn't what rock I have been living underit is, what rock have I been living on,forI am a traveller. Never before have I come across this species though. They seem fierce." The young man stated as he looked about the battle area.

A grunt of exertion from Brom had the young man sighing and shaking his head without turning around to look at the old rider. "I thought I told you to take it easy." He stated exasperatedly as he continued surveying the corpses.

"You don't know me, hang around long enough and you'll find I don't follow suggestions unless I like them. I've always said, better to ask forgiveness than permission and frankly I don't need either from you. However, my name is Brom, stranger, and I thank you for your help. You say you are a traveller, where is your place of origin?" Brom asked. He was curious as to where this man could be from that would keep him from knowing of Urgals.

The stranger looked at him for a few moments with unseeing eyes, "I have almost forgotten truly. Travelling for so long and seeing so much, but my beginning place is far away, across many seas." Which was true, space could be considered a back sea that few traversed and moving through time was like splashing in one of those oceans for a short time. The man chuckled, "How rude of me, saving your life without giving proper introductions. I have gone by many names in the past, though my birth name of Harry has always been my favorite."

There was a feeling of ancient power hanging about the man who called himself Harry, an odd name in Brom's opinion, but it could be worse he supposed. "So what now?" Brom questioned, not quite sure what to expect from this stranger. You could never be too cautious in times like this. He had a task to get prepared for and a small town on the other side of the Spine to set up in. Maybe he would even get to see his son... Brom shook his head as he focused back on the young man before him, "Do you have a place you are heading? And how did you get here in the first place anyways? I didn't think anyone was around for miles."

Harry chuckled, "And yet you still were ambushed by these Urgals. I don't have an exact direction I am heading in, nor a final location I wish to arrive at. Would you mind letting me tag along as a traveling companion? Perhaps you could tell me more about what all is going on here right now. I am severely out of the loop."

Brom looked at Harry for a few moments. He was wary of the young man, but something inside of him seemed to trust him, a part that had long been quiet within his mind. There was something within him that felt as though he would need this young man before the day was out. He nodded contemplatively to his new companion before hobbling towards his belongings that had been dropped when the Urgals first started their attack.

The pair slowly made their way through the thick underbrush and around the large tree trunks. They had to stop and rest often, as Brom's strength was not at its normal level. The quick healing spells Harry had to use made the muscles a little weaker, sacrificing the quick return of strength for the ability to keep Brom from bleeding out while Harry worked on him. Harry had cast a few spells to make traveling easier though, which Brom was exceedingly grateful for, even if he didn't understand the kind of magic Harry was doing. As they walked, Brom spoke of the events happening throughout Alagaesia and of dragons and magic. Much like Brom had been fascinated with Harry's use of magic, Harry was intrigued at the Ancient Language and its uses and limits. It was during one of their breaks from walking that Brom felt a sense of unease flow throughout his body before pain racked his left shoulder.

Harry was on his feet and next to Brom within moments, casting revealing spells trying to find the issue. The healing spells had worked as they were supposed to, but there was something still causing problems. Harry had checked for poisons and internal injuries along with just simple injuries from the blades of the Urgals, but nothing came back as what could be causing the problem. Harry popped back to the clearing he had first arrived in and checked the blades. He hadn't wanted to cast any other spells on Brom, in case whatever was happening responded poorly to the interference of magic. One of the blades, he discovered, was lightly coated in a solution of some kind. Harry cast a few more spells over the tainted weapon but still received no information on what it was. Harry popped back to where he had left Brom and moved over quickly to kneel next to him.

"Brom, is this a poison or something? I have never seen it before." Harry stated calmly even though he was internally worried. If there were substances that gave no reading at all for him here, he would have to work out new spells. Not a big issue, but definitely time consuming. The substance had no scent and Harry didn't want to try tasting it until he knew what it was, but usually people didn't put harmless substances on weapons unless it was for a ritual of some kind.

Brom looked as the coated blade and nodded in resignation. "There have been mutterings that a new form of poison developed by the Urgal witchdoctors that can resist the Ancient Language if done correctly. The ingredients for it though are said to be nearly impossible to find in Alagaësia. This was likely one of the few times it has been used. I know nothing about it aside from those few things." Brom sighed and shook his head. "Nothing to be done about it now I suppose."

Harry's gaze was lost on the sword's blade and the poison covering it. He pulled his wand out again and waved it towards Brom, slowly incanting the spells to reveal poisons but he received no response but as a grimace of pain racked the older man's body, he couldn't contest the fact that something was still wrong with him, and it was nothing Harry could fix. "I'm sorry Brom. I know of nothing. I have potion ingredients to make antidotes for poisons I know of, and I might be able to make an antidote if I work at it, but it could take years, and for some reason, I doubt you would coat a sword with poison that takes years to do it's job."

Brom gave a humorless laugh in response, "Too true." Brom fell silent for a few moments as he stared at Harry, the pain running through his body at more frequent intervals. "Amongst all my achievements and failures, there is one thing I will regret above all others, and that is that I will never see my son grow up. He will never know his father, and there will be no one to help guide the next Rider as I had sworn to do."

Harry looked at Brom silently for a few seconds as the man shuddered against the pain from the poison and felt a tug against his senses. Drawing his wand slowly, he asked, "Is there none other that could take your place?"

Brom hesitated for a moment and then shook his head slowly. "None that can truly give their fullest effort to it."

Harry could tell there was some twisting of the truth to the man's words, but didn't press. "Is there anything you would have me do?" Harry questioned quietly.

Brom closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths as a particularly painful wave washed over his body. "Not unless you could swear in the Ancient Language to get the next rider to the Elves. But you don't know where they are, or how to speak the language, so it is entirely an empty hope."

Rocking back, he raised his wand in front of him and let power flow into his words, "I, Harry James Potter, swear to wait for the next Dragon Rider to be chosen and will do my best to guide them, teach them, and train them to be a just and caring ruler. I will deliver or direct the Rider to those that will assist and teach the Rider in the necessary ways to succeed. If it is within my power to better their future, I will do so. This I swear, so mote it be." A soft light circled out from Harry to Brom and Brom could feel magic responding to the young man's words before him in a way that reminded him of oaths being spoken in the Ancient Language. Gasping for breath, he settled back fully in amazement at the power this young man before him held. Harry knelt down in front of him.

"For this to really work in the best way possible, I need to know where you were heading and why, I will stick to that plan and wait where you planned to." Harry said, reaching out to check Brom's temperature as a more violent shake ran through the older man's body. Brom's eyes were beginning to glaze over and Harry watched for a moment with a pained and contemplative expression on his face. With a sigh, he placed his index finger and thumb on either side of the man's head and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry to do this, friend, but for me to do the best I can, I must have information. I hope you can forgive me."

With that, he gently bypassed the man's mental shields and began copying the memories and experiences from Brom's life into his own mind. Starting with the first memories of Brom's training to become a Dragon Rider at a young age, Harry moved forward quickly, not pausing to actually watch the memories right then, but shuffling them over to his own mind for review at a later time with his Occlumency. Some memories, however, were too strong to simply ignore and pass over. Because of this, Harry experienced Brom's wonder and respect for the leaders of the Dragon Riders during their prime, the deep strength that the dragons themselves held and the joy of bonding with a dragon. He experienced the overwhelming sense of loss and hurt from Brom's dragon being killed, the deep attraction felt towards Selena that later turned into love. The peace and regret that accompanied striking Morzan down, elation at getting a dragon egg away from Galbatorix and then the sadness mixed with hope after the ambush that Harry had met him in. The joy at the birth of his son, yet sadness was that he would never be able to truly meet him. Hope at the fact that someone as powerful and good as Harry seemed to be was taking over the role he would be unable to fill for the Varden and those whose future rested with him for bringing the new Dragon Rider to safety.

The final emotions Harry received from Brom were contentment and acceptance. The last of Brom's strength was used to latch onto Harry's mind probe. "Train the Rider well, Harry. Watch over my son for me too, please." Brom's mental voice asked, and with a final sigh, Harry pulled out of the man's mind as watched as Brom's face settled into a relaxed look and his spirit drifted off into the next great adventure. Harry stood and looked down at the body of the man, sorrowful that he had been unable to heal him. With a motion, he ignited the corpse of the man he had only just met, but now knew as well as he knew as well as himself. He watched the man's spirit fully move to the next realm and mourned for the unknown loss that a son had just suffered. Intimately aware of such an absence, he swore to help as much as he could in the life of Brom's son.

"A burial fit for a King. Travel well, friend."


	2. Chapter 2

Getting settled in to Carvahall was an interesting experience for the wizard. The town was comprised of people who had grown into a close-knit community in the small village. It was a sense of shared wealth and hardship, though not entirely, everyone relying on someone else in town for the things they needed, even as other relied on them. The other needed or desired trinkets and goods were bought off of the same traders who made their yearly visits to the town, which meant the traders were also, generally, well known throughout the settlement.

Harry was able to buy an area of land from an older man whose family had died already and he had no heirs to take up the family name. Harry quickly set up a temporary shelter until he was able to finish building an actual house. Once the main structure and outer walls of the building were put up, he used magic to easily and quickly put together the insides. Within six months, he started doing small things here and there, fixing items that broke in the village that couldn't be fixed by anyone else in the village or just filling in as a helping hand when it was needed.

Word of his reliability spread through the village and he was slowly accepted in, though he mostly kept to himself, conjuring what he needed to trade or sell so that he could buy things he needed and then going to hunt for any food he required. The first two years were spent integrating Brom's memories and practicing his talents, natural and learned, so that Harry knew he could use them effectively and so that his body was accustomed to moving and exerting as was necessary. His body was able to quickly pick up the different sword fighting techniques that Brom used and intermingle them with the way he had learned to fight before. The difficult part was learning to use the Ancient Language efficiently. Brom had his own levels of power he could use for different magics, but Harry had access to more direct power.

In connection to Brom, Harry had purposefully gone out to see Eragon, Brom's son, on a number of occasions shortly after he had gotten settled in. Garrow had been initially worried about Harry coming around so frequently, but Harry had a serious talk with the man, explaining that he was an uncle to Eragon, being closely tied to the man that had been the boy's father. That discussion had lasted all through the night and well into the next day.

Harry didn't give the full truth, but having Brom's memories allowed him to answer the essential questions and left him with enough room to fabricate as needed. The truths of Brom and Selena and their actions were not explained. Harry's reasoning for only just arriving at the time that he did was due to a request from Brom to meet him in Carvahall. The reason Harry gave for not visiting sooner was that he had been waiting for Brom to arrive to visit Eragon with him, and then later to search for info on Brom's whereabouts when the man failed to arrive as planned. Having Garrow know of him and approve of him helped Harry be accepted into the close knit community a bit better.

The year following, Harry was deeply experimenting with the interchangeability of the Ancient Language and the spells he had been using all of his life. The results he found were very agreeable to the wizard. The Ancient Language, to the best of Harry's understanding, was a series of words that could most easily be summed up in three components: 'Truth', 'Existence', and 'Creation'. The words of the Ancient Language, as Brom was taught, wasn't just aword for a certain item, it wasthe thing itself. Brisingr, for instance, didn't mean fire; it was fire and by knowing the word you had control over the thing. By using the Ancient Language, anything spoken either had to be true, or the Ancient Language made it so. It is impossible to lie while speaking in the Ancient Language, but not quite for the reasons that one would think.

A person could not use the Ancient Language to change something innate within them or their thoughts on a certain matter. If one were to attempt to state something untrue about themself, they would be unable to since the Ancient Language will not change them in such a manner. In a more physical example, one cannot say Brisingr while pushing power into the word with out fire being affected around them; saying Brisingr makes the fire in 'Existence' react. If there is no fire around the person, however, the 'Truth' and 'Creation' aspects come into being by taking your word and power, and creating fire to make what was said true.

The issue many magicians in this galaxy run into however and what causes so much caution with magicians here, is if one spoke something in the Ancient Language, but it wasn't in existence, the speaker's body is taxed with the power needed to bring it into existence. The part where the Ancient Language creates something so there is truth in the words is what can be so deadly. With Harry knowing magic however, he was mostly given a free pass to be able to do whatever he wanted. Magic makes doing the impossible a commonplace event. Creating something from nothing through conjuration is one such 'impossible' thing. Because of this versatility in magic, Harry found that he could create anything he wanted in the Ancient Language and only barely feel it because his magic made any job as easy as waving his stick and saying the spell for it.

Finding this out, he put his new discoveries to use and went through the entire knowledge bank of Brom and even made a few short expeditions, disguised differently of course, to find a few other tomes on the Ancient Language, and had also made a quick visit to Galbatorix's personal library using Brom's memories of the palace grounds.

Only a few books were physically taken while others were copied and placed back on the shelf. He had stopped by where he felt some heavy protections around a portion of the castle, but he could tell they were above his knowledge for traps and triggers in the Ancient Language. Brom knew a great amount, but Galbatorix had likely spent years working out the words for the protections over that area of the castle and Harry didn't want to tip his hand too early by botching an attempt to get in. He also spent time trying to create a cure to what he had heard called "Kingsbane" during his information gathering trips. The substance that had claimed Brom's life.

The next decade was spent in a mostly relaxed schedule. Training to keep himself in shape and studying were the two main focuses that occupied his time, but Eragon was a constant companion for the majority of it. Harry made sure the boy helped Garrow, as the work would be good for him, but Harry also taught the boy to read and write. Once that was accomplished, Harry began to assign the boy readings from the many books he had accumulated during his time in Alagaesia and some even from before his rival in the world. One of Eragon's favorite pastimes, however, was looking at and reading through some of the books about dragons. The young man had been obsessed from day one and Harry was content to share all the information he could, passing on many pieces of wisdom and information that his father had discovered during his time as a dragon rider.

The second, favorite pastime of Eragon's was hunting. The boy had seen in one of Harry's books how to fashion his own bow and arrows. Deciding that it was good for the boy to learn and was likely safer if assisted, Harry took the boy out to the Spine, despite the local superstitions and Garrow's muttered disapproval, and helped the boy gather the needed materials. They worked the bow, crafted the arrows, and then Harry began teaching Eragon how to shoot. The first bow and arrow were not perfect, but they were good enough for Eragon to practice accuracy without possibly forming bad habits due to the quality.

It took many weeks of practice, but Eragon was determined and made progress, crafting two more bows of increasingly better quality before Harry was confident of the boy's aim. For Eragon's eleventh birthday, Harry took the boy out on his first hunting trip, which taught the boy another needed skill for hunting, how to keep his mouth shut. It also helped with the boys knowledge of woodcraft, moving quietly and various other skills, but Harry joked that teaching the boy to be quiet for an extended period of time, aside from sleep, was his greatest accomplishment.

It was on one morning that a burst of power flared into existence from the directions of the Spine caught his attention and clued him in that a change of plans and schedule was about to happen. While the initial burst faded, a residual feeling of power still lingering at the blast's epicenter. Disillusioning himself, he apparated silently to a short distance away from the center of the feeling and saw a dragon egg. Even though he couldn't make out any distinctions of the color and such, he knew the general shape well from Brom's memories and knew of no rocks that looked similar. The ground had been scorched around the egg's resting place and a small amount of smoke continued to rise from the charred grass and now dead trees. A quiet sound to one side was heard and Harry turned his gaze to find the now 15 year-old Eragon. An arrow was still notched in his bow and the boy crept closer to the egg. He tapped the egg with the head of his arrow and a soft and melodic thrum echoed out into the clearing. Eragon glanced around for a few moments before reaching out and picking up the egg. Harry could instantly feel a conscious awaken more within the egg and joy radiated from the dragon held within. Harry then knew that the next rider had been chosen.

He watched as the boy seemed to be deciding whether to leave or take the egg. Harry knew the boy far too well to know that Eragon's inquisitive nature wouldn't let him leave the egg behind. Harry was looking forward to the look on the boy's face when he got it into better lighting and realized that it was an egg. The dawn's light was still struggling to make its way to the ground where the egg rested, so Harry was unsurprised that the boy didn't realize what he had stumbled upon. Harry smirked as the boy unstrung his boy, stored it away, and carried the egg back toward the path home. Even though he knew the boy knew his way back, Harry was particularly watchful of the boy's return, his senses hyper aware and his mind tossing over various plans and contingencies.

Eragon ended up making it back to his home safely over the next couple days and Harry slipped back into town without anyone asking questions. He would come and go on his own schedule and most people would leave him be. He had been fully welcomed into the community without reservations after a few years in the town, mostly helped along by Garrow's acceptance, and he had come to enjoy the life he was able to live in Carvahall. However, if things went as he expected them toover the next few weeks, he would not be here much longer. Brom's plans were to take the Dragon Rider in a roundabout way to the Varden, but there were a few too many strong personalities and backroom politics that he hadn't wanted the Dragon Rider to be exposed to yet. The elves were almost as bad with their ability to say one thing and mean something different along with all their customs and such that made insulting one of them extremely easy to do for the unknowing visitor. Some of these things, Harry had already touched on, but there was still plent more that could be done to help Eragon prepare for the burden that would soon be placed on his shoulders by others. Harry would do his best to help, but he also knew that the boy would have to learn to stand on his own.

Harry began packing his accumulated belongings into packs that had been magically expanded and lightened though he charmed it so no one else could look inside and see the true depths of the bag. A wooden trunk had been charmed to hold all of his tomes and then be able to shrink down to be no bigger than a matchbox. Non-perishable food items were also packed in and situated with his things so that he could be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

The morning following Eragon's return to his home, Harry heard a timid knock on his door. He opened it to find Eragon standing outside his door with a large satchel over his shoulder, the bag clutched closely to his chest. "I've found something, Uncle Harry." He stated with a slight quiver to his voice.

Harry stepped to the side and waved the boy in. "Well then, let's have a look, shall we?" Harry responded with a small smirk.

"I just got back from my hunting trip in the Spine." Eragon started. Harry could tell the boy was partially excited and hopeful, but also a little unsure about what he was going to say.

Deciding to let the boy slowly get to his point, Harry continued the small talk, "Yes, you had mentioned that before you left. How was it? Did you get anything?"

Eragon hesitated and then shook his head. "Not as far as hunting. I had laid out some traps but...I was a little distracted on my return and forgot to check them." Eragon blushed slightly and looked down.

Harry smirked a bit wider. "Oh? And what was it that distracted the mighty hunter so much as to make him forget the main reason he went out?"

Eragon looked at Harry for a few moments before looking at his satchel. "I don't know what it is, but I do know what I hope it is. When I first found it, I thought it was a stone, but, as I was making my way back, I looked at it in better lighting and..." Eragon reached into the satchel and pulled out a gorgeous, blue egg and Harry couldn't help the gasp that escaped from his lips.

Obviously, he had known what was in the satchel, what he hadn't known was that it was the same egg that had been smuggled from the King's lair by Brom and Jeod. Harry worried slightly for the egg carriers and why the egg had been sent in such a manner. Perhaps the elves had devised a phrasing of the Ancient Language that would send the egg? But then, there would be no trainer, no helper, for the rider as a baby dragon hatched in their lap. He would have to think over this and see if he could find a way to get a message to the Varden. Perhaps a visit to Jeod was in order.

Once the dragon hatched, they would not be able to conceal it for long in Carvahall. Dragons did better when they had the room to roam and fly free anyways. It was the reason he had already started packing his belongings, now just to convince Garrow to let Eragon leave...

Eragon took Harry's gasp and silence as a tentative confirmation. "So it is then? A dragon egg?"

Harry looked at the egg for a moment longer, pulling his thoughts back to the present. "Yes, it is a dragon egg. I would have thought you had seen enough in your favorite book to not have any doubt. How did you come across it?" Harry asked, since it would seem strange for him to not be interested or curious. Eragon eagerly jumped into the story and Harry gave the boy part of his attention while his thoughts wandered slightly and worried about Arya and her companions.

He had been in Carvahall for nearly 15 years at this point, so it is possible the young elf had given up her position and righted things with her mother, but the 70 years that she had spent at odds with her mother, though the larger part of her life, is but a short time to an elf. There probably was not much of a chance at reconciliation very soon unless the two were strongly encouraged to do so. Brom was one of the few who could get the two to do one thing they didn't particularly want to, the other had been Islanzadi's husband, Arya's father, the late King of the Elves. Brom had spoken with both on a couple occasions, but neither were quite willing to broach the topic.

"...and there was the egg, in the middle of this big area of burned earth and trees." Eragon concluded.

"Very interesting, Eragon. Have you told anyone else about it?" Harry questioned and the boy shook his head vigorously. Harry nodded, "Good. This isn't something we want spread around. The longer we can keep this secret, the better it is for Carvahall. The better it is for your family. I will be out to the farm today to speak with Garrow. You and I will need to leave soon."

Eragon looked confused, " But it is just an egg, how could an egg cause problems?"

Harry chuckled, the boy hadn't put the pieces together yet, probably due to him not believing he could actually be a rider that he had read so many stories about. "The egg is not the problem, the dragon that will hatch from it, but on the other hand, is going to be a problem."

"The egg will hath? But how do you know? Will it be for you?" His eyes lit up slightly. "Will it be for me?"

"The egg will hatch for you, the dragon within it has chosen you as it's rider. You see, I can sense things, as well as a few other abilities I have picked up over the years, some of those because of your father giving me his knowledge. I can sense the joy and acceptance from the dragon when you have touched the egg. The dragon knows your touch and is excited to hatch to see you. It will likely be a couple more days before the dragon hatches though, this egg has been in a deep sleep for a very long time."

Eragon looked down at the egg he held in his hands in wonder. "I will be a dragon rider."

"Yes, you will be, so we need to make sure you are learning and preparing. You have much to learn." Harry stated, standing and beginning to move towards some of the books he had purposefully not packed yet.

"But how will I learn? Your books have been great, but they are only story books of old dragon riders and what they accomplished. How can I take care of a dragon? Fighting I can do great at, but taking care of a dragon, learning how to ride a dragon?" Eragon set the dragon egg down and moved away from it slightly.

Harry laughed loudly. "Boy, you have a long way to go before you can say you are good at fighting. I may have shown you a thing or two while you were growing up, but you still have plenty of room for improvement. Most of the books you read through were the historical recordings of previous dragon riders. I have a few books and papers that I have acquired over the years of tendencies and general information for taking care of whelps and young dragonlings. Trust me, we will have you well prepared to take care of your dragon."

"How do you have all of this?" Eragon questioned. "I've asked you before and you always brush it off, but it almost seems like you were purposefully prepared to give away your knowledge of dragons." Eragon questioned in a rare moment of insight.

Harry slowly made his way back over to Eragon with the books in his hand. He set the books on the table near Eragon and settled into his chair. "Your father was a rider before the fall." Harry held up his hand to stall the questions he knew would be coming." Yes, the fall happened over a hundred years ago, and no, I did not misspeak. Your father was nearing 130 years old, or somewhere in that vicinity when he was killed on his way here to get you from Garrow and raise you. He had been tasked to help train the next rider to overthrow Galbatorix and free the people of Alagaesia from the mad king's oppression. He sent his things on ahead of him and I arrived to put the house together and get everything ready for his, and your, arrival."

Eragon looked at him in shock. "What about my mother, was she a rider too?"

Harry shook his head, "No, she wasn't, but she would have loved to have return to you if she could have."

"What happened to her? You've never told me any of this. Why?" Eragon asked, growing more frustrated with Harry.

"The reason I haven't told you any of this before is because Galbatorix is seeking to find this dragon egg, and he knows who stole it from him, he knows those that are involved. If I told you that your father had been a dragon rider, and you told that to someone with a lack of discretion, you, Garrow, and Roran would all be in very big danger. Your father stole an egg from Galbatorix. This very egg, in fact. This is why you must keep all of this a secret. If Galbatorix knew that you were the child of a rider, he would want to capture you and try to turn you to his side and try to get one of his other two eggs to hatch for you, or he would kill you.

"As for what happened to your mother. I am not entirely sure. It was supposed to be a fairly simple thing, she and Brom had returned to take away your half brother from the castle." Harry explained. From many personal experiences, on both sides of the coin, it was better for the truth to be laid bare when matters of such importance hung in the balance. Eragon would need time following this to assimilate all this new information into how he viewed the world, but it was better that he knew than to let him be surprised by other things down the road.

"I have a brother?" Eragon shouted in shock and disbelief. Harry could tell that the boy was close to a breaking point and so said nothing in response, letting Eragon sit in silence for a few moments as he gathered himself. "Where is he?"

Harry sighed softly. "Unfortunately, that is something I do not know. Brom came back without Selena, but all I knew was that Morzan was dead, and that Selena and the boy were not with him."

It was one of Brom's most painful and regretted memories, and one that he would never utter a word of to anyone. He had tried to dissuade Selena from getting her other son, wishing that she would leave her old life behind completely and just live with him and Eragon. She had resisted and ultimately entered the place that she had lived without Brom. Morzan had been made aware of hr betrayal and had tortured her severely until Brom finally arrived.

It was too late to save Selena, but seeing her in such a state drove him to quickly overcoming Morzan and killing the man, almost before he was aware that Brom had come as well. He was grieved at Selena's death, but felt that it was Morzan and the child's fault that she died. He heard the young boy crying in one of the rooms from the house, alerted to something happening by Selena's screams of pain, but Brom walked out of the house and left the city, and the orphaned child, behind.

It wasn't until Brom made it back home that the guilt fully crashed in on him. He left a four year old boy, parentless, in the den of the mad king, with no hope, and no one to take care of him. It was at that moment that he was spurned to quickly make his way toward Carvahall. It was his distraction and carelessness in his traveling that left him vulnerable to the ambush by the urgals.

Harry shook himself from Brom's memories and stood. "Come, gather your things, these books and the egg too, we should get you back home. You have much to think on, and then plenty more to start learning."

"Shouldn't I leave the egg here, I am not sure that I can find a place to hide it from Garrow and Roran." Eragon questioned, once more, a rare moment of clarity and insight. Harry had been proud of the way the boy was growing up, and he liked to think a fair amount of that was from his guidance and teachings.

"No, you must keep the egg close to you. The dragon has chosen you to be its rider, but keeping close to it will help you both become familiar to each other. Examine the egg closely whe you can. Memorize the lines in the shell, know the smallest details of the texture, let the color of the shell be ingrained into your mind. I want you to be able to close your eyes and see the egg just as perfectly as if your eyes were open." Harry instructed. Part of the idea was to help the boy learn to focus in on one single thing, because it was much easier to clear your mind of one thing, instead of a handful of things. This would help with Occlumency later on, and it would help the soon-to-be rider subconsciously be aware of his dragon and be able to learn to sense his dragon easier once it hatched.

The pair made their way back to Garrow's house and then Harry returned home.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been a couple of days since Harry and Eragon had last spoken, understandable as it was the end of the harvest season and Garrow was likely using every moment of the boys free time to bring in the years last harvest. Harry had been moving about his house when he once more felt a wave of powerful magic. He smirked to himself, feeling the joy and contentment that pervaded the flow of magic, and knew that the dragon had finally hatched.

Deciding to go to Garrow's house to see if he needed to calm things down, depending on where the dragon hatched, or run interference, he grabbed a bag and left his house. It only took a short time for him to walk to Garrow's home and he saw the man and his son already working the fields. He raised and arm to wave at them and made his way towards them, confident that they were unaware of the new resident within their home.

"Good day, friends!" Harry exclaimed once he was within hearing range. "Does that nephew of mine still take up space in a bed?"

Roran chuckled. "That is about all he does most days."

Garrow laughed also. "Don't be

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Winter rolled in shortly after and Harry waited for the traders to make it into town to gather up the last few things he needed. Going off of Brom's memories, it seemed like the egg would have hatched by this time and he wondered how the young, new Dragon Rider was keeping the dragon's existence a secret from his family. One of the days he decided to make a trip into the Spine in the area surrounding Garrow's farming land to see if he was able to find anything.

His wanderings were cut short quickly as he heard the calls of a young dragon though were you not aware of the sound, you would have brushed it off as just another animal in the wild. Stumbling upon a large wall of brambles pulled him up short however, from where he was standing, there was no entrance and he didn't want to take the chance of apparating into more brambles or in front of a dragon and spooking it. Taking a leaf from Voldemort and many other wizards, as the practice grew more common as the years went by, Harry called mist to surround him and raise him off the ground, taking flight as easily as if he were riding a broom.

Clearing the wall of thorns, Harry looked into the clearing that had been cleaned out quite nicely and watched as the young dragon hopped from place to place, growling softly, running from its well-made hut, to the edge of the wall of thorns surrounding the clearing and back, jumping into the air and letting her wings carry her for a few seconds in a glide before running again. She wasn't able to get up much speed because of the enclosed area, but Harry knew from Brom's memories that this was really all she needed as exercise for the time being.

The dragon was a beautiful deep blue color that would probably be easily lost in a dark night's sky. Deciding he had seen enough, Harry let himself slowly drop back to the ground and apparated back to his house, arriving as he heard a knock at his door.

Upon opening the door he found Horst standing there, "Good day, Brom. Hope I am not interrupting you on anything?" He stated questioningly.

Brom gave an easy smile, "Nothing of too great importance, Horst. You know me, a little rebel planning here, little propagating for more to join me in overthrowing the king." He said with a quick wink to one of the major leaders in the village. Horst chuckled at the banter they had been carrying on for a few years. He thought Brom always said it as a joke, but sometimes he wondered…

"Anyways. Wanted to let you know we have had word from the travellers that they are only a few days behind the messenger they sent ahead. I was wondering if you have my tool finished yet? I have one or two more pieces that I still have to finish up before they get here." Horst explained,

"Ah, yes, the one your son's friend broke." Harry chuckled at the memory of how angry Horst had first been when he brought the tool over. "Has that young man stopped shaking every time he gets to within ten feet of you or has his fear of you stayed around still?"

Horst gave a hearty laugh and leaned against the door post as Brom moved through the many stacks of books, parchment, and other odds and ends that seemed to be piled to the ceiling. "No, he doesn't squeak any more when I talk to him. I'm slightly sad that it is gone, it was fun to sneak up on him and talk loudly to someone around him. I even had a few people who would keep him occupied if they were around him so I could sneak up.

"Ah, looks better than when I first got it. Thanks Brom, I don't know what we would have done without your ability to fix seemingly anything we need." He raised the tool Brom had given him and shook it slightly in his hand while continuing. "I really do appreciate it. As for now, I must return to my work." With that Horst turned and walked back the direction his shop was located in. Harry smiled softly and shook his head. Horst was one of those people that you wanted to be on his good side. Even with Harry being trained in many forms of fighting, magical and mundane, he still didn't want to get on Horst's bad side if he could help it.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Strangers had been seen in town, two to be exact, and something about their presence and the feeling Harry got from them, just by passing in the street was enough to make him want to vomit. They exuded a sense of darkness and death.

The traders had already come and gone, bringing tales of problems on the road, unrest in other towns and a worryingly large number of reported Urgal attacks. Harry had listened to more than a few of the traders and those who traveled with them as they recounted these tales. He had started doing a story each year when the traders came in nearly a decade back, children being allowed to stay up a bit later to hear the stories that 'Brom the Storyteller' told, but hearing these traders talk to the villagers, knowing that there was a hatched dragon in the forests of the Spine and that her rider would be there tonight, Harry decided to tell of The Fall of the Riders during one of the final nights that the traders stayed.

After the traders left was when the two strangers were being seen around town. Harry heard a few people asking about a blue stone, something that sounded similar to the egg that Eragon had found. He had been approached, which was when he noticed the stench and presence the two had. Brom's memories were triggered almost instantly and the name and info for Ra'zac was brought to the front of his mind. Harry answered the questions they asked calmly and then slipped back to his house, double checking his things to be sure he had everything ready. Something was soon to happen, he could feel it, and when it all finally broke loose, he would need to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

A knock at his door had roused him from some of his remembering of his life in the many centuries gone by. The friends he had made, enemies he had defeated, and different odd jobs he had made himself learn to do. Thousands of years of experiences tend to leave a man a jack-of-all-trades, and a master of many more. Chuckling to himself, he made his way to the door and opened it cautiously, hoping it was not the Ra'zc again. Seeing it was Eragon, he made his voice shift to take on the tone he used as Brom.

"What do you want, boy?" He asked gruffly. He had picked up one of his favored staves to lean on to keep up his image and put it to good use now as he looked the boy over.

"To get information, Roran is in town to get a chisel fixed and I figured since I had time…" Eragon trailed off as Brom waved him off.

"Come on in then, I suppose, gods know your questions are nigh on limitless." Harry said as he moved away from the door. He hadn't lit the house yet as it had only just recently begun to get dark outside and it hadn't been needed. Deciding it was needed now, he motion to a chair for Eragon to sit down in and then moved off to grab a match and candle. He made his way back after lighting the candle in his hand as well as a few other lamps he had situated throughout the house.

"Make yourself at home, but please, be careful, most of these items in here are now worth more than some people make in a few years." Harry told Eragon as the boy moved through the house towards the chair Harry had pointed out to him.

Moving towards the fireplace, where Eragon was now seated, he picked up a kettle and set it above the warm flames, "There, nothing like sitting by the fire while conversing. Now what is it exactly that you want to know?"

"Dragons." The boy across from him blurted out bluntly before stopping himself and gathering his thoughts. Before he could speak again however, Harry cut him off.

"That is a vast topic. To truly cover it would take half a lifetime, and that isn't even including the information we don't fully know or understand about them. I'll have to greatly condense it for our talk tonight unless that chisel was near completely destroyed. You think about specific questions you want while I get my pipe. Gods know I'll need it by the end of this."

Harry turned from the young man and hid his smile. Even if Harry hadn't known Eragon was the one to find the egg, he would know for sure now. The boy knew little of subtlety and even less of manipulating conversations so he could get the information he wanted without tipping off the person he was talking to of his intentions.

Settling in, Harry focused back on Eragon and away the conversation went. Firstly starting with Eragon rattling off multiple questions that was reminiscent of a bushy-haired bookworm he had grown up around. Ultimately, Harry decided to give a narrative of the basics, hitting on things he felt Eragon should be especially aware of for taking care of a newborn dragon, what things to look for, what were signs of it being healthy, things that he wouldn't have to worry about for at least a few months like breathing fire or carrying a large amount of weight and other such things were also mentioned.

By the time they had reached two and a half hours, Harry felt the boy before him had a decent enough grasp on the basics to survive a few more weeks at least, which was the time frame he was looking at for leaving. Harry stood and shooed Eragon off so that he didn't keep Roran waiting on him. The part of Harry that held Brom's memories felt a longing as Eragon 'Bromsson' left the house, but knew that he needed to keep his peace until the time came for 'his son' to know.

Nodding to himself, Harry went through a few of the scattered papers to see if there were any other things he needed to add to their travelling items. He had already started working on a map that showed where different things were located in Alagaësia so that he could plan their route across the country, moving through towns that had rich heritage for the Riders, teaching Eragon the history of Alagaësia and the Riders as they went. Harry also planned to teach the boy writing, if he did not know it already, the structure and rules of the Ancient Language, and a few bits of magic. There were also a few exercises he knew for Saphira to do to build up her strength a little quicker.

In all, the travelling would be the easiest part in the planned travels. Sure riding a horse could be difficult for long periods of time, especially if they are being pursued (which he was mostly expecting with the appearance of the Ra'zac), but the training and teaching that Eragon was about to be going through would make the travelling seem like a like breeze compared to a hurricane.

The third time Harry saw the Ra'zac in the city, he decided it was time for them to leave. Rather than waiting until the Ra'zac were actively chasing them, he felt they should slip away immediately. He wrote a message to Horst and Garrow explaining a few things, though nothing in exact words that could cause trouble in the wrong hands. In the letter to Garrow, he explained in greater detail who he was (Brom-Eragon's father/Selena's huband), why he hid his identity and what he was doing with Eragon. He spelled the letter to Garrow so that the information could not be pulled from his mind, nor be released under any circumstance except to those who knew the secret. He enclosed a large portion of extra money and a suggestion for the man to leave Carvahall. The Ra'zac were not to be trifled with and any who did, ended up dead.

He loaded up his horse, tethered a second one to his and then set out for the edge of the Spine. Tying his horse to one of the trees, he made his way to the clearing he had first found the dragon in. Moving around the wall of brambles, he found a well-hidden access point and cautiously made his way inside. Coming through the passageway, he stood up and eased his was towards the relaxing dragon, her eyes having been focused on him from the minute she had heard him likely.

He gave a deep bow and spoke, "Mighty dragon, I apologize for my random appearance here and ask that you will listen as I explain."

She gave no immediate indication of her intentions as she stared unblinkingly at him. When he held her stare in a respectful manner, she snorted and rose up onto her front legs, her hind legs still curled beneath her.

I will listen.She stated into his mind.

"You are very gracious, Brightscales. My name is Brom, and I must ask that you keep this next bit of information from your rider…" A deep rumble flowed from her throat at the words but settled slightly as Harry made a motion to wait, "It is not that I try to deceive him or do not trust him, it is simply for my safety and privacy."

When nothing was forthcoming from the blue dragon, he continued, "I was once a rider," here he showed he his palm as proof, "but have long been without my companion after she was slain protecting me. I came here today because you and Eragon need to come with me, away from Carvahall. Two very dangerous enemies are searching for the egg you hatched from and they will stop at nothing to get you back, which now includes Eragon in that since you have hatched for him. Both of you are in danger of being captured, tortured and then taken before Galbatorix to be sworn as his servants.

"Because of my background, I have the knowledge to teach both you and Eragon what you need to know as the leaders of the next generation of Dragon Riders. The Ra'zac are creatures that have been called into the King's service from what information I have gathered. They are very skilled in killing, torture, and fighting, so skilled that, at your current level, you have no hope of matching."

A prideful growl erupted from the female dragon's throat and Harry chuckled, "I meant that as no offense to you, Brightscales, only to impress upon you the seriousness of the situation. I have written a letter to both Horst and Garrow to explain what is happening and why it must be done. I need you to help me convince Eragon that it will be for the best to leave though. He will not leave on my word alone but we should leave today. The Ra'zac were in the village for the third time today, which means they are figuring this will be the most likely place to find the egg they lost. Thankfully they have not started looking for a dragon yet."

The last free dragon looked at Harry for a long moment and he was struck by the random thought that standing before this dragon was nowhere near as terrifying as standing before the Hungarian Horntail in fourth year. Shaking those thoughts from his head he offered a little more to show his honesty, "Brightscales, if you would care to look upon my memories, you will know the truth."

Harry prepared most of Brom's memories and opened them to the dragon's mind. He kept the facts about him being Eragon's father and all the Years of Harry's life from her, but that was because it would be more of a hassle to explain than he really wanted right now. He felt her move into his thoughts softly and move through them, looking for any trace of duplicity in his thoughts or memories. After a few minutes of searching, she pulled out of his mind and settled back into a laying posture, a low rumbling growing softly in her throat.

I will trust you, for now. But know that I will be watching you closely, two-legs. I will keep your secrets unless I feel that my Rider should know them or that it will save his life. The dragon rumbled within his mind.

"Thank you, Brightscales. I will go to find your Rider and see if I can talk him into accompanying me. If not, I will need your help." Brom stated aloud.

There is no need, he is on his way here now. Garrow has let him go for the day. You may stay if you wish.She told him

Harry chuckled, "No, it will be best if he does not see me here randomly. I need to drop off the letters to Horst and Garrow and then I will come into the forest from Garrow's place and be calling out his name, looking for him. If you can direct him to me from there, that would be great."

The quickly growing dragon nodded her head and Harry bowed deeply to her again before turning on his heels and disapparating away. He arrived back where he had left his horses and traveled quickly back to the main part of the village. He dropped off a letter with Horst, though he spelled it so it would only be visibly after Harry had gotten a certain distance away from the town. From there, Harry worked his way out to the home Eragon had grown up in. Harry walked up to the door and knocked after checking to see if it was only Garrow in the house. Roran was planning to leave soon for a job, which hopefully would make this transition for everyone a little smoother.

Garrow called out after Harry knocked and a few noises reached the other side of the door as the man made his way to the door. "Brom! It is a surprise to see you, is there something I can help you with?" Garrow asked kindly.

It was one of the things Harry liked about the man, he was hard working, very friendly to those who were around him, and by the way Roran and Eragon had grown up, he was a very good father and role model. Harry knew Eragon had been sometimes frustrated at the man's unwillingness to accept help, but Harry appreciated the desire to earn everything he received, as it was something he himself strove to meet.

"Actually, I would only have you read this letter, Garrow. I need to take Eragon on a trip with me. There have been a few things come up that are of immense importance. I understand that Roran is soon to be leaving, so I know this is leaving you without help for a short time, I will be paying for the time he is gone, it is actually here in this envelope already. Do I have your acceptance?" Harry asked politely as he handed over the envelope to Garrow. It was a sign as to the level of Harry's acceptance in the town that Garrow did not check the amount of money in the envelope; the man trusted that the money was there as promised.

Garrow looked at the unopened envelope in his hands before looking back up towards Harry, "Yes, Brom, that will be fine. I think it will be good for him to get away from Carvahall for a while, see a little more of the world than just the village and the Spine. I know you have taken many journeys about in your search for books and knowledge so I trust you can keep him safe. Return him to me safely, or as safely as you can keep him from his own curiosity and propensity for getting into trouble." Garrow cackled as he jokingly swatted Harry's arm.

"I am going to be speaking with him shortly and I am not sure if we will have time to return here before we leave. It is of the gravest circumstances that we are leaving quickly. I suggest you read the letter soon, friend." Harry said seriously and Garrow stared at him, almost as if he wondered what he had given permission for Eragon to get into. Harry didn't leave much time for that contemplation as he quickly turned from Garrow's home and strode away, heading towards the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

It only took ten minutes of walking through the dense brush lining the outer edges of the Spine's forests while calling out for Eragon before the boy was standing before him.

"Brom? What are you doing out here?" Eragon asked as he walked forward. "Most people I know won't venture half this far into the Spine unless under dire need."

"Ah, but surely after all my stories you know I am not most people. Now, we have a very serious issue right now that we must take care of: Galbatorix is seeking after the egg you found here in the Spine. He has sent two vile creatures and they have been asking around town lately; today was the third time they have been in the village and asking about anything strange that has been found in this area. I have already left a note with Horst and Garrow about what is going on. Garrow has given you permission to leave with me, but it needs to be tonight. Even with her following over the Spine, your dragon will be much to visible in the sky through the day so we will have to travel by night for the first few steps of our journey until we have a fair amount of distance between us and a town." Harry stated while watching the area around him.

Eragon spoke up quickly, "I don't have a dragon. The stone I found in the Spine was just that, a stone." Eragon stated bravely. While Harry already knew the boy was lying; the blinking and uneasy shifting was enough of a give away that, even if he hadn't known the truth before hand, he would have known Eragon was lying.

Harry walked closer to Eragon quickly and ripped the glove off of one of his hands to show the Gedwëy Ignasia that was being hidden underneath. "Garrow did well by you, if you had grown to be a working man at least. You cannot lie worth a pinch of salt, a good trait if you were going to be working as a normal person. However, when you deal in politics, war, and subtlety, this blatant honesty is a hindrance and can often times mean the life of you or those in your company. Now call your dragon or lead me to her, we waste time as it is." Harry said with a small amount of impatience to his voice.

Eragon huffed in response and turned around to lead Harry towards the clearing that housed his dragon. Eragon half-heartedly warned Harry to watch his head as they went through the small entry point that led through the mass of thorns surrounding the clearing. As the two humans made it out of the tunnel, Harry gave the dragon a deep bow and turned to look at Eragon for an introduction.

Giving a small pout, the boy started, "Saphira, this is Brom. Brom, this is Saphira."

Harry took in a small gasp as the name registered from Brom's memories of the man's personal dragon who was named the same. A mental smirk and then grimace flashed through Harry's mind. While Eragon didn't know who his father was, he was making some choices much like his father. Harry remembered that being one of the names he had listed off during Eragon's rapid-fire question session.

Brom smiled easily at the great dragon, "It is an honor to meet you, Saphira." He moved slowly to the side, taking in the fullness of Saphira for the first time and checked what he saw before him against Brom's memories of watching you dragons grow up before The Fall. "Her talons are curved nicely, muscles aren't disproportionate to the rest of her body and she looks to be the size of a two or three month old?" Harry questioned even though he knew about the time Saphira had hatched.

"Nearly two and a half months, now." Eragon replied with a surprised tone.

"Yes, all-in-all she is a very fine dragon. It will still be a few more months before she is strong enough to carry you for any great length of time, but I think I have a few flying exercises she can practice while we travel so that she can reach that point a little sooner." Harry stated as he moved closer to one of Saphira's wings. "May I?" He questioned, reaching out to feel Saphira's wing.

Saphira stretches out the wing he had pointed at and Harry ran his fingers across some of the muscles housed there, checking for any issues Brom had seen as young dragons grew and tried to overextend themselves. After checking over the other wing, he nodded and stepped back. Harry could feel Eragon's studious gaze on him but paid the boy no mind.

"Now, we must go. Garrow has hopefully started packing his things to make ready to move if he wasn't a fool and ignored my warning. Those Ra'zak will be asking more questions than I'm comfortable with and it won't be good for the town if they think there is a reason to stick around. If they hold to the pattern, the Ra'zak will be back two weeks from today. Hopefully we can be gone and our trail cold by that time. I've gotten into contact with some friends to make sure Garrow's trail is well covered also, so you need not worry for him.

"You won't need to grab anything from your house, I have clothes for you and anything else we will need on this trip so we must get ready to leave as soon as the sun starts setting. Lay down and get some rest, we won't be stopping until sunrise tomorrow." Harry said and then started to make his way back to where he had tied up the two horses.

Harry felt bad about uprooting the boy and Garrow so suddenly, but he knew that if he waited around, nothing good would come of it. He checked over the packs as his mind drifted. Brom didn't plan to take Eragon straight to the Varden, because he was wary of the politics, but he also wanted to help boost the morale there. The only problem with taking Eragon there sooner rather than later is it would cause rumors to be spread which would reach the king's ears and make Galbatorix way to strike against the Varden sooner. For fear of rumors escalating the most likely time frame, Harry decided it would be best to disappear for a few months into the Spine and then start the long trek to the Beor Mountains to join the Varden. That would allow Eragon to grow in knowledge and strength, alongside giving Saphira time to strengthen up and get ready for the battles that were sure to follow shortly after Eragon and Saphira were seen again.

Brom would have had trouble with this plan of action because of how limited he was in getting information while in the wilds. Harry on the other hand was able to pop around to any of the cities Brom had been to while Eragon was otherwise occupied to pick up the latest news from high-ranking officials in the Empire's Army as they drank away the night in the pubs and bars throughout the cities.

With this freedom, they didn't have to risk exposure before they were ready, just to keep up-to-date with events happening throughout the empire. Coming back to the present, Harry left the horses once more and moved back to meet up with Eragon. He drew close and heard Eragon ranting to Saphira about the unfairness of everything and saying that they should stay and fight off the Ra'zak rather than running away. Harry shook his head slightly at the bravery but stupidity of the boy and was reminded of himself at that age.

He made his way into the cleared area and stood quietly as Eragon continued muttering softly to himself. Harry watched quietly for a few moments before asking, "Are you ready to go, Eragon?"

Eragon spun quickly to face him. "Why do we have to go Brom? Why can't we just stay here and if they come back, we just fight them off?"

Harry chuckled darkly, "You think you can hold your own in a sword fight, boy?"

Eragon bowed up at him and said back, "Yes, I do. Roran and I, we have fought quite a bit. Don't think I can't."

Harry held up his hands in an effort to 'calm' the boy in front of him down, "My apologies, Master Swordsman. Come, show me your skills with the blade." Harry said humbly as he ducked back into the tunnel and slipped outside the walled off section of the clearing. He moved away from the mouth of the tunnel and quickly conjured two straight sticks that were about the length of a normal sword. He walked a little farther from the tunnel's exit and turned around to wait for Eragon to come out. The second Eragon straightened up after exiting the tunnel; Harry threw one of the sticks in Eragon's direction and shouted a heads up.

Eragon was able to grab the stick, looked at it for a second before looking at Harry with an almost condescending look and saying, "You know, Brom, this isn't quite fair."

"You're absolutely right," Harry said, 'you don't stand a chance'he thought mentally, "But please, humor me."

Eragon swung the stick around in his hand before moving forward with a slash. Harry blocked the attack and landed decent hits to the stomach, back of Eragon's head and calves as he moved past on one side. Eragon dropped to the ground with a pained groan, clutching his stomach.

"My, my. I can see the extent of your training. Come on, up you get, let's try this again." Harry said condescendingly tapping Eragon with the end of his makeshift training sword, "Come on, get up. You want to fight these Ra'zak, you first have to be able to hold me off with an actual sword. Which is quite a bit heavier than these twigs. Now get up, first we must start with your stance."

Another round of traded blows found Eragon laying on the ground once again, clutching his side this time. The boy wheezed out his words amongst the spasms of pain. "You know, you really don't have to be that harsh on me."

Channeling his inner Snape, Harry raised an eyebrow and replied, "Don't I though? Your enemies will not soften their blows, nor will they wait for you to regain your bearings. Should I change how I train just so that you can feel better about your inability to fight? Should I lower my expectations so that your incompetence can match it? I think not, you must learn to deal with pain, take it captive in your mind and push it aside and then complete the task set before you. Now, get up. We go again."

The day continued in a similar manner, Eragon accumulating more than a few bruises over his body, but Harry had some potions stored in his belongings he gave to Eragon to help them heal quicker. That evening, they headed out. Eragon was too battered and weary to put up much protest at leaving after Harry finished his first sword lesson. Harry tied the horse Eragon was riding on to his so that he could lead the animal and Eragon could sleep.

Every once in a while, Harry would have to use bursts of magic to keep the boy from falling out of his saddle as they rode deeper into the Spine, but for the most part it was smooth traveling. Harry was able to hear when Saphira passed overhead sometimes as they traveled. Not hear Saphiraper-say, actually, but the birds that were stirred up as she flew overhead and the sounds of animals around them stilled for a few seconds. The greatest predator known to the world passing over them pushed the animals into such a deep state of fear.

Overall, the trio made good time and Harry pulled the horses to a stop as the sun began to make its presence known across the sky. Harry went over and woke up Eragon so the boy could slip off his horse and help unload the horses so they could go back to sleep. Harry retrieved the bedrolls first and set them out before turning to tend to the animals while Eragon slipped into his bedroll and was quickly asleep once more. Harry sat down on a nearby rock that was covered in moss and closed his eyes.

Over the years of his life, Harry had learned techniques that allowed him to stay awake for long periods of time without any adverse effects to his health or cognitive ability. One such technique was Occlumency. Because his mind was so organized, his mind was able to shut down quickly and rest the amount of time it needed to without it taking more than a couple hours. Normally, the brain would take time to shut down, take the knowledge that had been gained that day and pack it in before getting the rest it needed to be able to take in more information the next day. Occlumency was able to shorten that process and make it so the brain only needed to be re-energized. This led to Harry being able to stay up for four days straight with no adverse effects on his mind, though the start of the fifth began cause problems that most people would experience after three nights of no rest if he did not sort anything in his mind during those days.

As such, Harry was back up and had already made breakfast before Eragon began to start waking up, the smell of food likely helping the boy have a clearer mind so quickly after waking. Eragon made his way over to where Harry had started the fire and took a plate of the proffered food.

"Eat up, we will do some more practice and other exercises so you need plenty of carbs and protein for the day." Eragon gave him an odd look but Harry waved it off. "Give a shout for me when you are done and I will come let you know what we will be doing next." With those words, Harry stood and walked away from where Eragon was eating. He stopped by the horses and grabbed a wrapped bundle before he moved off into the trees and disappeared from sight. Eragon ate slowly, half of him still mostly asleep, but the other half was dreading what it was Brom was going to have him do today. Yesterday had been brutal and Eragon was amazed that the old storyteller was able to move as well as he did. No sound was coming from the direction Brom had walked off in, but Eragon paid it no mind, there were probably few things the old man couldn't handle and he seemed to want his privacy so, surprisingly, Eragon left him to it.

Finishing the last bits of his breakfast, Eragon sighed and reluctantly placed his plate next to the fire ring and stood up. Looking at Saphira with an unsure expression he shrugged as she snorted humorously at him and he yelled to Brom that he was finished.

A few moments later, Brom came back with the same bundle and slipped it back into a place on his saddle before turning to look at the young Dragon Rider. Clapping his hands together he smiled, almost evilly, and stated, "Well, lets see how light you are on your feet. Try to keep up please." And with little else in the way of a warning, he turned and jogged off into the trees. Eragon watched him go for a few seconds before Saphira mentally nudged him and suggested he not get too far behind. With a surprised yelp, he took off at a run to catch back up to Brom.

Eragon quickly came to understand what it was Brom meant in relation to being 'light on his toes' as he was forced to jump over downed trees and large boulders while also having to keep his balance as he ran over smaller rocks and felled branches. Eragon looked ahead and saw Brom moving easily through the forest and over or under any obstacles that stood in the way; not only was Brom making it look easy, he was also pulling farther ahead of Eragon as the pair ran. Any time that Eragon started to slow down or seem to be ready to stop, Brom would yell back to him and tell him to keep up, almost taunting the boy for not being able to keep up with an old man and so Eragon would push himself longer.

Twenty minutes later, Eragon collapsed to the ground. His fall was 'helped' by a branch he couldn't clear as his legs no longer responding to his mental urging to continue forward. Gasping to get breath into his lungs, he allowed himself to rest on the forest floor and wait for whenever Brom decided to turn back around and find him. Within a couple minutes, the older man had slowly walked up to the boy who felt as though it took everything within him to keep breathing; sweat was soaking into the ground around him.

Brom chuckled lightly at him, "You know, I am actually quite impressed you made it this far, though I know how stubborn you are so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You did well for your first time out, but you better believe that we will be doing this again. Now, stand up and stretch or you will not be able to move tomorrow, we are not too far from a river also so go get washed off and then come back to camp so that we can talk."

As Brom turned to head back to the camp, Eragon noticed, to his complete disbelief, that the older man had no sweat on him at all from the exertion and didn't seem winded in the slightest. He lies on the ground for a few more moments but felt his legs starting to tighten and decided he should get up and stretch to cool down like Brom suggested. After stretching his muscles, he moved off to get cleaned up so that he could head back to meet with Brom.

Harry made his way back to their campsite genuinely impressed. He knew that Brom was planning to teach the boy how to fight, but while being able to swing a sword and block attacks was a good start for fighting, it didn't encompass every aspect. Harry decided to put Eragon through the physical side of training for beginning Aurors that Moody had created as the Official trainer. Believe it or not, the battered Auror was still very mobile and could dodge better than most of the wizards who had two feet during the war, and it is what kept him alive longer than most. This running would help Eragon build up his stamina and help him be surer of his footing and movements. The loose rocks and slippery moss were perfect to help the boy instinctually readjust his footing if it should fail in a fight. Battles were not always on solid, flat ground; as such you needed to be prepared for being on any and all kinds of terrain.

Harry could hear Eragon crashing through the underbrush and decided to do a little more training. Most would consider this constant battering through lessons harsh, but Brom had known before he died and Harry knew from past experiences, Eragon was going to have a very tough road ahead of him and needed to be ready for anything thrown his way. Out of the pure desire to help the boy achieve the task Fate had lain at his feet, Harry stood up and disappeared behind one of the trees near their campsite. He conjured another stick into his hand and waited as the noises of Eragon's passing drew closer to the camping area.

Silence reigned for a few seconds after Eragon reached the camp before he called out for Brom. Smirking slightly, Harry thought better of the fake sword for the time being and had a conjured arrow fly into the camp, nowhere near the young dragon rider, but enough to catch his attention. Eragon looked around quickly and crouched down, worried about Brom now since he was seemingly being attacked. He moved to get behind a stump and thought about his options. Harry had moved to another position during this time and was ready to send in another arrow. He took a quick peek around the tree and at first didn't see Eragon anywhere, a small shift in motion and a soft noise drew his attention to a fallen tree and he saw a corner of the boy's clothes and knew where to focus his attention.

Harry sent a mental conversation to Saphira quickly to let her know that he and Eragon were training again even though Eragon didn't know it, just in case the dragon rider sent her a plea for help. The dragon sent a slightly miffed response in return as her rider had not informed her of anything of the sort yet. Turning his focus back to the fallen tree, Harry saw Eragon looking around the tree line, trying to see his attacker. Harry smiled easily and gripped the conjured stick again and spun from behind the tree and rushed into the clearing. Harry had covered his face and transfigured his clothes when he decided on this training session so that Eragon wouldn't immediately recognize him. He rushed the boy who was now standing up from behind the dead tree and was scooting backwards from the unexpected attacker. Harry swung without worry at Eragon and his stick passed easily through the space the boy had been occupying seconds before.

Eragon had rolled under the strike and spun around as he stood up again. While it was a great move to get him away from the attack, he had inadvertently rolled further away from his mock sword that Brom had told him to hold on to for future sparring sessions. Looking at the unknown person before him, Eragon figured it was someone Brom knew, or the old man himself, since the attacker was wielding a wooden pole rather than an actual sword, but he knew that no matter who it was, they wouldn't hold back. Eragon eased himself to one side, hoping the person standing before him would allow him to work them to the side so he could get his weapon and mostly even the odds again, fighting unarmed was not his idea of a good time.

The person before him shifted their stance to look straight at Eragon again, but made no other move to one side or the other. Eragon's mind raced, he hadn't ever truly fought without something in his hands, though he and Roran would wrestle sometimes, he had never had to try fighting someone who was armed while he was not. From the way Brom fought, he knew if he got close, he would have welts on his body from the stick, but the stick was also slightly cumbersome in close range movements, unlike a shorter weapon would be like a dagger or knife. Because of this Eragon sprinted forward quickly, mostly dodging two attacks that were to ward him off, catching a third to the shoulder before he had moved close enough that the sword was mostly useless in actually attacking him and tackled the figure to the ground.

The wooden pole came loose from the man's grasp and Eragon did his best to keep his forward motion like Brom had taught him the day before and rolled forward and off the man he had taken down. Quickly standing up, he rushed over to his horse and pulled out the practice sword Brom had given him before spinning around. He barely had time to raise his weapon to block the attack that was already in motion. The attacker had the advantage since Eragon was mostly caught off-guard at how quickly his opponent recovered and he was also forced to stand at a weird angle as the man with his face covered was pressing down on Eragon's blade with his own.

Eragon shifted to the side to let the man's force slide forward without resistance and spun away from the confrontation, trying to get a little more room between the two of them. His opponent chuckled lightly and Eragon knew it was Brom from the sound of his voice. Brom pulled the covering off of his face and revealed a smile that had been hidden there.

"Smart thinking with the tackle, though had this been a real sword, you would have needed to be mindful of the sharp, point end that could have slipped into your stomach. We will work on how to fight an armed opponent while unarmed later, as for now, lets see what else you can remember from yesterday's teachings."

Eragon groaned in response but quickly cut off when Brom rushed at him and started the sparring match off once more.

The spar lasted for nearly thirty minutes and Eragon accumulated even more bruises and welts than last time. His arms now felt like his legs had after the chase and he slumped to the ground gladly as Brom called the session to an end. Brom slid easily to the ground next to Eragon and handed over a wineskin of water. Eragon drank eagerly of the cool, refreshing liquid before handing it back to the older man and sighed wearily.

Brom chuckled, "We aren't quite yet done for the day, but I promise it is nothing that requires physical exertion. I am guessing you have been taught to read yes?"

Eragon shook his head slightly, still a little too worn out to talk.

Brom frowned slightly in response, "Garrow never taught you how to read?"

Eragon shot him a confused look, "Garrow knew how to read?"

Brom chuckled as he replied, "Yes, though he was never a scholar, he was able to read anything he really needed to. Blast him and his pride. I guess there is nothing to be done for it now though; I will just have to teach you. There are many happenings in our world right now and you must be able to keep up with things. Since you are a Dragon Rider, you will likely have contact with elves at some point so I will go ahead and begin teaching you their language as well. Dwarves have a language of their own also, but for now we will stick with ours and the Ancient Language. Now, sit up and pay close attention, here is how you write the letter 'A' in our alphabet."


	4. Chapter 4

The training continued on in a similar manner for the next three months. Harry, Eragon and Saphira were still well stocked with food because of Harry's planning ahead, but he decided that they would need to start moving once again within the week. Harry had mapped out a route that he thought would be the most beneficial for speed of travel but also to have a few historical stopping points. There were a few Rider outposts that, though crumbling, still stood from the time of the Rider's prime and Harry wanted Eragon to know of them and know of the history stored there.

During his time in Carvahall, Harry had used his free time studying the history of Alagaësia that Brom couldn't remember or hadn't known before he died for this exact reason. The Dragon Riders were supposed to act as intermediaries for all the races of Alagaësia, which meant knowing the histories of those races; the customs and beliefs that shaped the races and how they interacted with others. Harry had been able to use his personal skills from his long life to get multiple sides of the stories, so he would be able to teach Eragon about everything that had happened between the races, rather than just one race's retelling of it.

Saphira was daily taking to the skies to do some of the exercises Harry told her about from Brom's memories to strengthen her flying abilities and ability to carry passengers. It started slowly at first, just getting her into the air for longer periods of time, and then Harry slowly began to have her start carrying things with her as well to add to the weight she was able to fly with. He had made a seat that he fastened to her so that Eragon could ride her every once in a while, though that was still a little while away. Saphira needed to be able to carry his weight first before he should get on to fly around with her. Harry was happy with how quickly her strength training was moving along.

Eragon had slowly gotten better in the training lessons Harry was giving him and Harry had even replaced the sparring pole he had first given Eragon with one that had a little bit of lead in the center of it to add a little more weight. After a few sessions of that, he also added a little weight to the boy's shoes, though not a large amount that would be too noticeable. Almost weekly, he would add a little more to the inside of the stick and some more weight to the shoes to help build up Eragon's strength. He planned to do the same once they switched to actual swords to build Eragon's muscles even more so and then begin lessening the weight again.

The idea was for Eragon to have the ability to attack harder and faster, but also have the control he needed when he handled a sword with it's true weight. The natural weight of the sword would feel lighter and easier to control, allowing him to fight better than he would if he only grew used to the lighter weight. While most people would be able to smash through blocks with a heavier sword, Harry was able to slightly augment his strength with magic during the training sessions to work over Eragon's speed of attack instead of letting him rely on the heavier sword.

Eragon's lessons with reading were also coming along quickly with Eragon now reading a smaller book Harry had given him to help him get used to reading. The pair's days were filled with running in the morning, sparring in the afternoon and reading in the evening with Harry teaching Eragon different topics in between. History, politics, persuasion techniques, proper etiquette when around humans, elves and Dwarves, different creatures that existed throughout Alagaësia and many other topics were discussed and Eragon was able to mostly keep up with everything.

Harry was content with the young rider's progress though he didn't seem to really shine in one area. He did almost everything just slightly above average but it was his tenacity and stubbornness that Harry appreciated. The boy could usually accomplish the tasks set before him, but when he didn't he would try again and again, asking for advice for certain things he struggled with and then would try again. Once Eragon got something down, he would be ready to move forward to the next thing and whether he struggled right from the start on it or was able to do it easily, he pushed himself forward with determination.

Harry had slipped away a couple times, partially to give Eragon a break, but also to gather information of recent events. He dropped into a few towns to hear the gossip and discreetly ask around about the Empire's movements or plans. He bumped into Garrow in one of the towns, though because of his disguise, Garrow didn't notice him. Harry was happy to see the man who had been a father to Eragon was doing well, looked to be well off with the money Harry had given him and was even more happily surprised when Roran came around the corner with Katrina on his arm, both smiling happily as they joked with each other, though there was a gleam of worry in both men's eyes.

Harry moved a little closer to Garrow and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Excuse me sir, but yeh wouldn't happen to be Garrow, would yeh?" Harry asked in a faked accent.

Garrow looked at the man before glancing around the street area before nodding cautiously. Harry gave a smile to the man and tried to ease his worries of being found out, "Nothing to worry about, friend. An old storytellin' friend of mine asked meh to pass on the word that he and his apprentice are getting on quite well right now. Hoping that yeh and yur family are doing well, yeah?"

Garrow's face lit up and he nodded happily but Harry continued after second, "Yeh haven't seen anything…weird have yeh?"

"Nothing weird that I have noticed. Can you pass on the word that Roran and Katrina have gotten married? They wanted him there, but we had no idea how to get in contact with him. We have been seriously worried about him since we left home. Oh, and thank our storyteller, I have heard from Horst that a company of soldiers came through after we left but left the town shortly after they arrived. He said he overheard them saying they didn't find who they were looking for and apparently some of the soldiers had been killed by two of their travelling companions because of the lack of information they could find. Supposedly the company had wandered through the Spine a couple times but would come back with half as many men there as they went in with. It was apparently a very small group that truly left the Valley." Garrow explained, still keeping his voice down.

Garrow continued after a pause. "The money our storyteller passed on has been a great help to starting over and Roran and Katrina have already gotten a temporary house here in town after Roran found a good job for work. Things are going well for us, though as you have seen around here, things are getting tough. We have even spoken of leaving here to go to Surda, just to get away from all of these issues. Roran has been dodging the draft here but likely won't be able to for much longer. We are looking at leaving in the next month to head that direction actually.

"I would pass on the information myself, but I don't know how to get in contact with them. From the letter I was left, it seemed like they would be off the beaten path for a while though. Oh, and if you see the old coot, punch him for me. All those years and I didn't even know or guess at a possible relation to him." Harry chuckled and patted the man on the shoulder. They had moved to a more private location during the conversation, which made Garrow a little more comfortable with opening up and sharing information with the man before him. Harry had put in a comment in the letter he left about him having trustworthy people use the phrases 'storytelling friend' and 'apprentice' to relate to himself and Eragon. This was to help ensure the man knew who could be trusted with talking about their history and how Brom and Eragon were doing.

Harry nodded to the man, "I'm sure he would be willing to speak with yeh if he has the chance to explain things, but for now I must get on and finish me errands for the day. Good day to yeh sir." And with that he moved off down the road and found an empty alley way before popping back to the campsite.

Thankfully there were no undercurrents of major troop movements aside from a rumor here and there that Urgals were becoming a little more active in attacks and that the troops hadn't been called in to stop them. The worrying whispers he had heard were the ones that spoke of a shade. These had been around for a while, but the fact that they continued and grew more frequent was starting to get Harry on edge.

From Brom's memory, shades were not beings he really wanted to have to deal with right now, but if need be, he would. Shades were usually at least two powerful spirits possessing a person, and while spirits were right up his alley, he didn't want to expose his abilities with such things yet. Such information would be dangerous if it got out.

Eragon was still reading when Harry came back from 'a dip in the stream'. He had thankfully been able to get to three different towns in quick succession and gathered enough information to know that they should leave the next day. They had been making some forward progress over the past couple months as Harry worked on Eragon's training, but now they would cut back on the training some and work on actually getting to the places Harry wanted to show Eragon. Harry was very happy however with how much Eragon had ben able to pick up. He was still a long ways shy of what the elves would want him to know before giving him the title of a fully trained Dragon Riding Master and they hadn't even touched the knowledge Harry had from his years of living before coming here.

Eragon looked up as Harry came quietly into the clearing, his eyes alert until they rested on Harry and he settled down and focused back on his book. Harry had to be fair, the boy was picking up detecting people very well from the training and he wasn't surprised as easily any more, even when he was engrossed in a book. Harry was proud of the boy who was slowly becoming a young man at just how much progress he was making with his studies and training.

Harry called to him, "Alright Eragon, it is about time we pack up and head on to the next point. We will spend the night here and then get everything ready to go in the morning." A happy and relieved smile spread over Eragon's face and Harry chuckled, "For the first half hour you will be running alongside the horses rather than riding though, I will keep them at a trot though so you won't be full out sprinting." Harry stated with a grin as Eragon's face fell and took on almost a scared look.

Harry continued chuckling as he turned away, "I suggest you finish up reading and then get to sleep. We break camp at dawn tomorrow." With that, he continued over to his horse and pulled out the deep red sword with the thin scratch down the blade. He tested it in his hands for a few seconds and discreetly cast a weight charm on it before walking over to Eragon and handed it to him along with the scabbard that was also a red color.

"I have been holding onto this for some time now but it will be best for you to wield now. This is a rider's blade, forged by the elves long before even your uncle was born. We will likely be getting into tenuous situations with enemies who are both seen and unseen once we get into towns and on the road. We want to stay inconspicuous if possible, but if not, those poles we have been practicing with will do nothing for you." Harry stated as he watched Eragon look over the blade, stepping back as the boy began swinging it around himself to get a feel for the weapon. With a confident nod, Eragon slid the sword into its sheath.

Harry smiled and stated, "Also, we will start a new type of training when we stop tomorrow night. It will be building on one of the lessons you have been working on, but it will be a little more difficult. Now, I am going to go meditate for a while and then go to sleep afterwards. If you need anything though, don't hesitate to come get me."

Eragon nodded in response, being used to Brom going off to meditate, though he wasn't too sure what all that entailed. He went back to reading the book before him that was in the Ancient Language, but his mind couldn't fully focus on the text, he was instead wondering at the new training Brom would be giving to him since he couldn't really think of anything else he needed to be taught. His eyes stared at one of the words in the book he had previously been reading and something seemed to heat up within him. He breathed out the word and his hand burned while a gust of wind rushed through the campsite, snuffing out the campfire he had been sitting next to. Eragon felt like the air was knocked out of him and he gasped for breath for a few seconds before he was able to calm his breathing. Brom rushed back to his side with narrowed eyes and a cautious look on his face.

A hand felt his forehead and rested there for a few moments, Brom seeming to utter under his breath a few unintelligible words. A tingling feeling rushed over Eragon, starting from his head and travelling down to his chest before it stopped. Brom gave a light chuckle and backed away from Eragon, "Guess it is a good thing we will be starting those lessons tomorrow. What word did you say?" He asked easily without any tone of accusation.

Worried about what happened last time, he pointed at the word in the book he had spoken aloud and Brom nodded, "Makes sense. Congratulations Eragon, you just used the Ancient Language for the first time." He helped Eragon sit up and sighed, "I was hoping to explain this on the ride tomorrow, but I doubt your mind would allow you to not be curious about it until then. You see, the Ancient Language is not just another way to talk; it is a very binding and powerful language that allows people who can connect with magic, to use it to control the world around them. The Ancient Language doesn't just use words to describe something; the thing isthe word. You said 'Vindr' the word that is wind. There was no wind, but because you spoke wind in the Ancient Language, it brought it into existence around you."

Harry looked around the campsite and shook his head gently. "And you did a mighty fine job of using also. Quite impressive." Harry shook his head and focused back on Eragon.

"The limit you have to understand with this is that it takes the energy to bring what you speak into existence from you." Harry stated simply and motioned to the knocked over items and the smoking embers from the fire. "For you to just create wind, it would take you moving very quickly past something, or causing it in another manner, but, naturally, that takes a lot out of you. This is why you felt so out of breath. We will talk more about this as we travel tomorrow though and then we will do some exercises that evening. I must impress upon you the seriousness of this though. There have been people who have tried to use the Ancient Language to achieve something they thought they could but it ended up being beyond their reach; they died from the attempt. Let this be a warning that this is not something to be played with.

"Now, usually the trainers waited for something like this to happen before training the new riders in the ways of magic, but it was usually a life or death situation that caused them to discover the magic. I know that wasn't the catalyst for you, so how did you discover magic?" Harry asked, curiosity beaming from his eyes as he watched the boy before him.

"Something…seemed to stir inside me, like you would stir up a bed of coals. I just breathed out the word and next thing I know there was a gust of wind and I was having trouble breathing." Eragon explained softly, still trying to understand the events that had just occurred.

Harry hummed in thought and stared ta Eragon for a few moments, "Can you still feel it?" He asked after seemingly finishing his silent contemplation.

"No…wait, yes, but barely." Eragon as he shut his eyes and tried to focus on the warm feeling that was slowly growing larger as he tuned everything else out. A hand on his shoulder drew his mind back to his surroundings.

"We'll come back to this at a later time, Eragon. For now you must sleep, we have a lot of travelling to do tomorrow and I will be able to answer more questions then." Eragon looked up and saw Brom looking at him with a humor filled smile. With a pat on his shoulder, Brom turned away and walked off. Eragon looked around and noticed that it was quite a bit darker than earlier and wondered at how long he had been focused on the feeling of his magic. He could still feel the acute weariness from causing the wind so, after speaking with Saphira for a time; he fell into a deep sleep.

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The travelling the trio did over the next couple days was very insightful for Eragon and challenging for Saphira. Harry mentioned a few different exercises she could try while flying to help increase her muscles for flying. She was strong enough that she could carry Eragon and Harry at the same time for close to a half hour before needing to drop down to rest for a short time if she had to. Harry was really happy with how well she was coming along in that aspect and knew that there had not been a dragon that could fly as gracefully as her for nearly a two centuries from Brom's memories.

He and Eragon were going through many aspects of the Ancient Language, and while Harry wanted to teach him the magic he had grown up being taught, he knew that he should only work on one thing at a time. Harry had found that the Ancient Language and the magic from his home world worked hand in hand perfectly. The magic he had grown up around was constantly breaking the rules of science and nature.

The Ancient Language controlled nature, but requires the energy it would take you to do the task in a different way from using the Ancient Language. Normally that would mean it would take the energy you would have to exert to do it in a physical way, however with his other access to magic, he could accomplish that task by saying incendioand pushing out some of his magic, and he would get a fire. Similarly, if he wanted to destroy something, rather than having to use the energy it would take to physically destroy whatever it was, it only took the energy it was required of him to say bombardaand push out more of his magic. Because it was the Ancient Language rather than just a spell, there was little to no delay between him saying it and it happening, while with a spell you would have to wait for the ball of magic to reach its target before anything would happen.

According to what Brom had been taught, it was unwise to use the Ancient Language in such a manner: speaking it without knowing your limits or while trying to modify how the magic pulls on you was more likely to cause problems or death for the caster. Since leaving his first world, however, Harry had slowly gotten better at speaking less and willing more, making for some very interesting results with various spells. Brom knew twelve words that would kill instantly without causing hardly any energy expenditure, but they were still bound to the word making it truth in reality. It was more creative thinking than it was intent based.

From the way Brom was taught, the words that were spoken declared your intent. During his experiments however, Harry had found he was able to change how much energy he was exerting by speaking a simple word and changing his intention of how to bring about the desired result. For example, one could cause fire by striking a match, a single flick of the wrist, and boom, there was a flame. Or one could rub two pieces of wood together for an extended period of time and have the friction create the flame.

One was much less exhausting than the other, but he was able to get the same result from both and those results carried across all the different words he tried out. He would wait to get into that with Eragon since he still needed to learn that limit, get used to working inside of it, so that when he learned the other magic that Harry knew and the different way of thinking, he could push those boundaries and limits.

Eragon surprised Harry with more than a few very insightful questions about the Ancient Language and Harry was more than happy to answer them with either knowledge he had gained from Brom or the extra knowledge he had taught himself while waiting in Palancar Valley.

It was during one of the evenings after travelling that Eragon asked a question with a strange tone to his voice.

"Who are you? I know your name is Brom, and you are a storyteller, but there is no way a mere storyteller could know as much as you do. What use would you have for knowing the Ancient Language, or have the knowledge to be able to answer even half of the questions you do with such ease? You fight unlike anyone I have heard of before and while I appreciate the training you have been giving me, how is it that you know so much? I mean you even have knowledge of exercises for Saphira to do to help her get stronger." Eragon asked, confusion filling his voice as he spoke as his eyes brows kept down in thought.

Harry smiled gently, "I am a friend, and don't take those words lightly or think I jest, as they are the truest words I have spoken of myself. My past is…complicated to put it simply, and you are right, being a storyteller in Carvahall has only been a small portion of my life. At this point, you don't need to know my history, nor have you really earned the right to ask me about it. Yes, I know more about many things that 'Brom the Storyteller' would know, but I should since I am more than just a storyteller. The rest is immaterial as of now though. Know I am doing my best to get you the skills you need to be able to survive and trust me when I ask things of you."

Eragon got a frustrated look on his face for a few moments, "Will you tell me nothing of yourself? You seem to know my whole life story and yet I know almost nothing about you that even hints at whether I should trust you or not. How do I really even know that Garrow and Roran are safe? You just told me you had his permission for me to leave with you and that you sent him away to keep him safe. How do I know you did any of that?"

Harry sighed, he was honestly surprised it had taken this long for Eragon to start questioning his motives and trustworthiness. The only thing he can figure on is he kept enough information coming for Eragon to learn that he didn't really think much about his teacher. Harry understood why it was brought up tonight however, it had now been four months since they left Carvahall and they were slowly getting nearer to civilization again.

Looking at the boy before him, he tried to think of something he could tell the young rider without having to explain more that would be dangerous for him to know. Finally deciding to talk about the destination he had in mind, he pushed forward to talk of the Varden from Brom's memories.

"I work with the Varden. It is a hidden group or people who stand against the Black King's reign. They are currently hidden away in the mountains that are south of the Hadarac Desert. They are fighting for freedom for all of Alagaesia and have asked me to bring you to them so that you can help. I had been instructed by their leaders and the elves in the ways to teach you so that you can reach your full potential, though the elves will be taking you at a later time to train you fully in the ways of magic, since this was mostly supposed to be a quick starter course and a brush over the basics." Harry explained. With these words, he wasn't even stretching the truth much. Brom and the elves had given him plenty of information on how to train a dragon rider, but he didn't work for the Varden.

Eragon nodded in response to his explanation. "So you all are expecting me to get involved with a major war that you are trying to fight."

Harry watched Eragon for a few seconds, "That is the task I was given, however, I'm not sticking to that plan, strictly speaking. I was to take the Dragon Rider to the Varden as soon as I discovered them, be a guide and instructor along the way and then step out of the way for the rest to take over. The only problem with that is I know how their politics work, and if you were to step into that kind of atmosphere right now, you would be eaten alive. There are councils within the Varden you must be mindful of; there are elven families that are held in high regard that you must not offend. There are also dwarf clans that all have their own politicking system that you must be aware of.

"As I told you, I am a friend and I am doing the best to prepare you, but just because I want to get you as ready as possible, does not mean I will spill all of my secrets. You want to know how I know so much, there you have it, I have been taught to fill this role but at the same time, I have studied while in Carvahall to expand my knowledge on these subjects to be able to help you far past what they are expecting.

"I am here to help you prepare for anything that you may face, because like it or not, Galbatorix will come after you as soon as he hears you have come into existence. He will not kill you outright though. He will likely try to start a New Order of Dragon Riders with him as the head and Saphira as the mother to the next generation of dragons. He will break your will and force you to serve him, and if that somehow fails, he will force your dragon into submission by threatening to hurt you and do the same to you through her. Whether you want to fight or not, the fight will come to you. The future of this world is centered around your freedom." Harry explained in a soft voice.

He knew how it was to hear that you were the one that people were counting on. But he also knew that the stubbornness in Eragon would bring out the same determination he had felt to help those in need. It was much like when Dumbledore told him the prophecy in his fifth year that singled him out as the only person who could defeat Voldemort. The difference was that Eragon didn't have to lose anyone close to him before the truth came out. There were no games of, 'I will explain when you are older' or other such nonsense. Eragon asked and Harry answered.

As expected, Eragon blew up at being more or less told he was backed into a corner, but Harry didn't pay much attention, the boy would need a day or two to let it settle in and then a few days after that to come to terms with it, but his character would shine through. Right now, Eragon would only see two options: either he become a slave to Galbatorix, or help the Varden and get sucked into their politics and end up losing his freedom anyways. Harry would be working over the next few days to help Eragon discover the third path that would allow him to help the Varden, Elves and Dwarves, but still remain separate from each of them and keep his freedom, as it should be. He was to serve each race here on Alagaesia, but he also needed to be free of them so that he can act without worrying about personally offending one faction or another.

Eragon stood and stormed off after he spoke his thoughts on how things seemingly set up against him and Harry settled next to the fire and thought back over his adventures as a child at Hogwarts. Drawing parallels, he knew how important the next few weeks would be. Where as he was shunted away from everything and everyone, kept in the dark to struggle forward alone after receiving similar information, Harry would be beside Eragon, giving advice and suggestions for ways through these issues. Eragon's attitude would be the main deciding factor of how easy it would be going forward.

The boy could be level headed sometimes, but he could also be like a wildfire on a windy day. Once his temper got loose, it was practically up to nature itself to decide what happened next, or until he burned himself out. A raging fire would be detrimental to most of the learning Eragon would need in the near future, but not an impossible obstacle to overcome.

Harry closed his eyes and could feel the mental ranting from Eragon to Saphira as the dragon listed silently to the boy. Harry couldn't blame him for his actions, he knew the situation all too well to give comment or rebuke. He did feel slightly envious of Eragon for a few seconds however. At least the companion the boy was ranting to would be able to give some kind of feedback. Hedwig had never been very talkative or fully comprehensible. He could guess at different sound she made, and felt confident that he would understand the gist of it, but not much past that.

Harry chuckled to himself and stoked up the fire. That was only the similarities to his time at Hogwarts, though. Through his lifetime, he had met innumerable people in similar situations. Harry was wrapped up with reminiscing long after the pair fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The trio reached Therinsford after another two days of travelling. Eragon had calmed down some after talking with Saphira and had apologized for his outburst to Harry, but he was still a little sore over the subject. Harry continued on without any trouble or worry for the boy, his ever-insatiable curiosity would break through the rebelliousness before long and Harry would be able to show him the other route that could be chosen. Harry was slightly envious of Eragon because no one had been able to come alongside him to show Harry a third route in his job of killing Voldemort.

Therinsford was just a short stop since Harry had the time to plan ahead and buy a pair of horses, but they still wanted to restock on food since they had refilled their wineskins with water from the stream they had been traveling alongside for a while. There was a teaching moment that Harry seized when they were stopped on their way into the city however.

Eragon had already asked Saphira to fly ahead of them so the people in the town didn't see her and the two came upon a small bridge that continued the path they were on the rest of the way to Therinsford. As they took their first steps onto the bridge, a man popped up on the other side.

"Five crowns to cross my bridge. If you do not pay, you shall not pass." The man said with a smug grin on his face.

It was easy to feel the shock and anger rolling off of Eragon from where Harry stood and reached out a hand to calm him down as the boy began to grow close to speaking his mind and would likely cause a problem with his words. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the required amount and handed it to the man. A greedy look flashed across his face as he clenched his fist tightly around the coins he had been handed, giving them a slight shake towards Harry. "Thank yee kindly, sir. Good travels." The man said and shuffled to the side.

Harry started forward and seemed to trip over something and bumped into the man for a second. The man, with a few not nice words, harshly pushed him off and Harry and Eragon continued on.

After they got a short distance away, Eragon turned to Harry and asked in a frustrated manner, "Why did you pay that? It probably wasn't his bridge and it certainly shouldn't cost that much to cross it even if it was."

Harry chuckled, "You're right on all counts. But I have learned throughout my life, it is best to let a fool think he gets his way, and turn it to your benefit when he is unaware." Harry opened his hand and showed a bag that was bulging with coins.

Eragon's eyes widened comically and he exclaimed, "You stole it from him!"

Harry chuckled again and nodded, "Yes." A cry went up behind them, "And I think he just realized it. As I said, a fool, because only a fool would keep thismuch money in the same pouch and be worn about. If you had looked closely, rather than only getting frustrated, you would have seen the coin purse on his hip and the fine jewelry that was barley concealed under his dirty, tattered clothes. He was no beggar."

The rest of the walk to the town was uneventful and after gathering the supplies they needed, using the money pocketed from the toll bridge man, they quickly left the town again and headed on their way. They kept a steady pace, but nothing that was too strenuous. They kept their energy up for the most part through the day to work harder in the training period during the evenings.

Eragon was quickly becoming proficient with the blade and had picked up a couple knives to practice some with. Saphira was now carrying a pair of medium sized boulders in her foreclaws as she flew or Harry would have Eragon and Saphira fly together so the pair could get used to flying with each other. He had made a saddle previously to keep Eragon's legs from getting torn up against the hard scales on Saphira's back and was happy to see it getting more use.

During another day of their travels, the trio came upon a crumbling fortress that Harry had been keen on showing to Eragon. He steered the group to the side to get a closer look at it. Brom memories were drawn to the exact day the fortress had fallen and the sorrow and bitterness that accompanied the memory was almost overwhelming in intensity. Harry shunted the emotions aside and began relating information to Eragon about it.

"It was once an outpost for riders before the fall of Vrael which happened here. It was called Edoc'sil, which mean 'Unconquerable'. After Vrael was defeated, it became known to the Riders as Ristvak'baen or 'Place of Sorrow'. It became contaminated when Vrael was killed and no one has been here since. We can't really stay here long without having issues. The common people have come to call it Utgard since the last Rider fell. It was a wonderful outpost though since the only way you can really get up to it is to fly. Such is the reason it was called Edoc'sil. Had Galbatorix and his Forsworn not come, it may have stood even still to this day."

Harry turned to Eragon with a serious expression. "Let this be a lesson to you, Dragon Rider. Even the most well defended and strategically placed fortresses can be overcome if it is approached correctly. Pride breeds complacency; complacency breeds death. Do not think that you have all your bases covered just because nothing has proven otherwise to that point.

"On the reverse of that, do not think something is impossible, simply because you or someone else has not found a way to overcome an obstacle. Look at every angle, no matter how ridiculous or uncommon it may seem."

Harry looked around, letting the memories he received from Brom play before his eyes. The memories of friends, who were now dead, killed for a mad man's thirst for power and misplaced revenge. After spending a few more minutes, the trio continued on and came to rest at the edge of the forest, overlooking a large expanse of plains.

The next morning, they were awakened in the early hours of the day by a massive storm that dumped gallons upon gallons of water on their heads. The travelers were thankful for the trees that surrounded them, because of the forest they were traveling in, were able to block some of the water. However, their bedrolls and other items were very wet. Harry, wanting to keep his own ability to use magic a secret still, didn't offer to dry them out. The pair was able to quickly take shelter under Saphira's wings from the buffeting wind and the increasing downpour of rain.

As they waited for the storm to pass, Harry spent time speaking with Eragon and Saphira, trying to get them to get a feel for the air and atmospheric pressures so that if such a storm came in the future, they would not be caught unprepared. If Saphira had been in the sky during this, she would have been in great risk of being harmed until she could fight her way out of the air currents. Towards the end of it, Saphira felt as if she had begun to grasp what she was supposed to be sensing. Eragon was less certain, but Saphira shared what she was feeling with him and he was able to understand a bit better. While it was a brutal storm, it passed fairly quickly and the trio was able to traverse a few leagues before settling back in for the night, just reaching the edge of the forest they had been traveling in.

"Yazuac is just across this plain. Thankfully we didn't hit that storm while we were in the middle plains because Saphira could have had a rough time with those straight-line winds. Without that slowing us down, we should reach the city a couple hours after noon if we set out at dawn." Harry said before turning to the pack on his horse. He reached in and pulled out an extra bedroll that he had packed.

"Take this and put your wet one next to the fire so it can dry out tonight. Get some rest and enjoy a night off. We will be riding hard tomorrow to get to Yazuac and then riding hard further, past the town, to get a little more space between us and the small, empire controlled city after getting some information about the state of things." Harry continued, "I'll take watch and wake you if you are needed." Harry turned from his traveling companion and walked from the light given off from the fire that had been started in the middle of the camp. He blurred into the lingering darkness and began his rounds around the campsite while Eragon eased into the bedroll and quickly set about falling asleep, though his mind began wondering about the traveling companion and trainer he had found in Brom. The old man spoke in strange manners sometimes and seemed to have an unending wealth of knowledge while also acting like there was much he wasn't showing at the same time.

While many people wouldn't fully expect it from a boy of his age, Eragon could be very attentive when he wanted to be, or maybe it was Saphira who pointed out different things to him. All the same, Eragon knew there was much more to Brom than he could imagine, even with Brom admitting a few things in a noncommittal way, Eragon had the gut feeling that the person he knew as Brom was only a fraction of the depth to the man. There was something in his wisdom over even the most simple things that seemed to be as old feeling as Saphira's mind could be at times, a feeling of an ancientness to his words and verbalized thoughts. Eragon's mind soon collapsed into the darkness of dreams and ended his inner musings.

Harry finished his rounds and came in to sit next to the fire as he allowed his senses to extend out past the perimeter he had just walked. Seeing that he had returned, Saphira quietly readjusted her wings and settled into a more comfortable position from the more tense, watchful position she had been in and seemed to begin humming softly. Harry allowed himself to begin swaying side to side and added a harmony here and there, but mostly just allowed himself to feel the magical music that sang out from the dragon and her mind.

"Where did you learn to do that? Or at least, how did you think of it?" Harry whispered, only loud enough for the dragon to truly hear and understand the words.

The feeling of a blanket fell over his mental barriers and he heard her answer, "It is the first I have done it, truly. I was watching the flames and noticed the playing of tongues across the wood. It...stirred something within me and I did what felt natural."

Harry leaned back and used his arms to support his weight, "It deeply reminds me of the elves singing to their trees, calling to the nature around them and drawing it to them as they desired; mortals easily fell into the same snare since they are so unprepared to feeling the pull of the Ancient Language on their being. If you look around us, you will see many animals who have been drawn here because of your song." Harry motioned with his hand to the side and gave a smile at the dragon as her light amount of surprise could be felt radiating from her mind. "Magic...is an awesome thing, is it not?" Harry stated softly, watching the smaller animals running back and forth, playing, in front of a beast that they would usually consider a predator to stay away from.

Saphira held her breath in to keep from spooking the new arrivals to the campsite and sent a mental smile into Harry's mind. "That it is, old one. I don't mean to pry, but when will you tell Eragon of who you truly are? I know I can trust you since you have shown me enough of your mind and past to know you will not lead my hatchling astray since he is also yours, but even tonight he was wondering about your background. I have tried to keep him from that deeper knowledge you have allowed me to see, but we are still a little new to the whole sharing a mind thing. Even in the egg, I had my own mind, though it wasn't as aware as my mind is now, it was still only me."

Harry waved off the worried tone in her thoughts and gave an easy smile to her in return. He leaned back some once more, "It will happen or it won't. There is so much uncertainty in our travels and the destination we are ultimately heading towards that it will completely depend on the circumstances we face." Harry stood and stretched, "Get some rest Brightscales. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Harry turned to check on the horses while Saphira dropped her head gently to the ground, her eyes drooping slowly as she continued to watch the small animals that were still relishing in the peaceful atmosphere her magical music had created. Harry thought back over the trip so far. They had left Carvahall many months ago and had made good time in their travels. They could have traversed this much land in a shorter amount of time if they had been pushed to. By Harry being able to preempt a likely inescapable outcome of being discovered by the Ra'zac and having to flee from them, they were able to take a more sedated pace and give Eragon more time to learn.

He also thought over his short conversation with Saphira. He had allowed the dragon to see Brom's memories, or at least a good portion of them to show he was trustworthy, but she still didn't know anything about Harry Potter, which was a very good thing. It may be a little ways of still, but something inside of him felt like he wouldn't be borrowing Brom's face or history for much longer. Things were beginning to pick up a little more in the towns he had visited. He had gotten to within apparating distance of the slightly larger villages that were a little closer to the Black King's citadel and was able to get a better idea of the state of things.

The shade was no longer just a rumor and had been seen walking through the streets of Urû'baen and Gil'ead by many of the citizens, though most did not know it was a shade. Harry had been able to pick up snippets of thoughts and memories from people who had visited the city. Harry was tempted to try popping into the capital but decided against it just in case the King had a way to detect his arrival.

The other worrying issue was that there had been no communication from the Varden about the egg being lost or the carriers being caught or killed. He was effectively blind from any happenings with the group of rebels and had no way to rectify that until a messenger from them came. There were a few things he could try, but he didn't want to cause any suspicion as far as why he didn't use the mode of communication before. He popped back to the campsite shortly after and settled in for the night watch.

The morning broke easily over the horizon and Harry drew himself from his meditation. He stood and moved over to wake up Harry and Saphira. Remembering his school's motto, he gave a light mental nudge to Saphira to wake her and splashed a conjured bucket of cold water on Eragon in memory of the Marauders. He chuckled as Eragon quickly sat up and looked around. Saphira's mental laughter rolled over the pair.

"Get ready, we leave in ten minutes, you can eat some of our dried fruit for breakfast while we travel. We will make a short stop in Yazuac since there is not another source of water until we hit the Ninor River on the far side of the town from us. From there, we will travel on to Daret then down around Dras-Leona before heading East towards the desert. Get your things put together quickly. Our travels today should not be interrupted. The plains have very little in the way of protection. While no one is searching for us right now, it is best if we can remain as inconspicuous as possible." Harry said easily as he reloaded his horse.

Eragon shot him a dark look that was marred slightly by the water dripping from his hair but got up and followed the directions. Harry chuckled softly at the boy and quickly finished his preparations for travel. He mounted the horse and, once Eragon finished and hopped on his horse as well, the trio set off, leaving the shelter of the trees and began the journey to Yazuac.

Harry directed them onto the road a couple miles out from the city so they would not randomly appear if any others were on the road today, but as they drew to within a mile, Harry's instincts began kicking in. There was an electrical feel to the air that reacted softly to Harry's magic and caused him to raise his awareness. Harry sent a mental notice to Saphira for her to be ready for anything but stay a little ways away from the city so she wouldn't be seen, but also so she could get there to help if needed.

He looked over at Eragon and motioned for the boy to get his sword and ready to be drawn if needed. Eragon gave him a questioning look in return but said nothing as he got himself ready for a fight if needed.

The two traveled around to a minor entrance rather than the large gate that faces the road in case of an ambush and, after tethering their horses, slipped inside. The sight that greeted them on the main road brought great discomfort to Harry and caused Eragon to loose the dried fruit he had eaten on the ride. A mountain of bodies rested in the center of the road.

Harry dropped his head in sorrow at the loss of life showcased before him and whispered a soft, quick prayer for the victims. He raised his head somberly, gave Eragon's shoulder a pat in comfort and stepped forward to begin searching the town for any survivers. While he searched, he discreetly tracked Eragon's movements while keeping his senses alert for anyone who may have stayed behind.

He had sensed it shortly after he got off his horse, but let it lie until he heard a soft noise as he moved past a darkened alleyway and subtly moved his hand to rest on the pommel of his sword. He made a show of glancing at his surroundings before turning back to go the way he came. While he was leaving his back open for attack, if his assumption as to the attackers was correct, he would hear them before he was in danger. There was also the added fact that it was difficult to fight in an enclosed place like the one he had just been in.

The shuffling of footsteps followed him quickly as he moved and he easily spun around as he made it back into the main road area with his sword drawn and cleaved the Urgal in two that was standing a short distance behind him. The creature had raised its sword above its head to attack but had been much to slow to actually do the deed.

Harry sprinted back in the direction he had last seen Eragon moving in and saw more shapes emerging from the shadowed alleys. He heard a shout from Eragon and sped up to try to help the boy. Grunts and yelps of pain followed shortly afterward and Harry knew the young rider had at least landed a few hits. He smiled as he continued to run though he slowed down some as he drew nearer. He was close enough to see Eragon battling a single Urgal. With that reassurance, Harry turned around and faced off against the three other Urgals that had stepped in behind him from the shadows.

Harry adopted a loose stance and focused on the subtle movements of the three enemies. Two shifted backwards in deference and Harry singled the third Urgal out as the leader he needed to take care of. He leapt forward quickly and took off an arm before whipping the blade around to detach the leader's head. The attack caused him to spin slightly, so he allowed the momentum of the attack to turn into the next closest Urgal and landed a harsh hit to the creature's chest. The Urgal dropped to the ground clutching the wound as Harry completed the spin and faced the third attacker. The Urgal had shifted backwards slightly and set its feet in a defensive posture, uncertainty showing in its eyes.

Harry stepped forward and started off his attack with a high sweep that was blocked before he brought the sword around to the other side and got in beneath the Urgal's guard. The hit would be fatal to a human, but the Urgal continued to fight. Harry noticed the strained breathing of the second Urgal he took down had ended and worked to quickly strike down the third and final Urgal. The beast before him lasted only a little longer before falling to Harry's sword as his two brethren had and Harry turned to find Eragon.

The boy was doubled over, gasping for air and Harry chuckled. "Well done. No injuries?" Harry asked and Eragon shook his head to answer that he hadn't. Harry nodded in response, "That is good to hear. However, it looks like we still need to up your training regimen so that you don't end up being worn out this quickly." Harry looked at Eragon closely and his eyes narrowed. "Or do I need to have another conversation with you about using magic?"

Eragon quickly ducked his head in response and an embarrassed look covered his face though there was also a look of defiance. Harry watched the boy for a few moments and shook his head with a soft sigh. Eragon still had a ways to go before he could be considered a young man. The immaturity and rash decisions he made showcased that fact. Getting to a certain age does not make you a man, nor do the things you do make you a man. It is the person he has to become to earn that title. His maturity and way of thinking needed to change, as did his attitude at times and how he responded to things.

Harry let out another sigh and gave a beckoning wave to Eragon, "Let's go, I don't want to give any other Urgals a chance to come back and find us again. We need to leave. There is little we can do here." Harry kept his voice calm but his heart was hurting at the deaths of the citizens of Yazuac. None had been spared; the bloodthirsty Urgals had slaughtered everyone from the defenders of the town to the women and children casually.

They were a few hours of riding away from Yazuac before Eragon spoke up, "Why are you so upset about me using the Ancient Language? It was the only thing I could do to keep from dying." He said, a tone of bitterness, weariness and frustration lightly colored his voice.

Harry sighed, "Do you remember nothing of our conversations? This magic is not something to be played with. Even if it was to buy you a little more time, you should have used something different. I may not have taught you many things, but we have gone over more than a few options that would not tire you out like what you did. Speaking of, what did you do?"

Eragon looked down for a few moments, "I had backed away for a second and lost my footing. I fell down and the Urgal was coming towards me so I just used the word for wind to push it away. It was the only thing that came to mind."

Harry stopped his horse and stared at Eragon in amazement at the boy's stupidity. Eragon pulled his horse to a stop and looked back towards Brom and dropped his face quickly at the look of disbelief. He knew he messed up and the consequences for it would not be pretty.

"Get off your horse. Now." Harry said as he dropped off his horse and moved a short distance away, drawing his sword as he moved. He sent a mental note to Saphira that she would need to land and likely carry Eragon for the next portion of their trip after the 'exercise' he was going to put the boy through.

Eragon cautiously dismounted and moved over towards Harry though he kept his distance. Harry motioned towards Eragon with his sword and the young rider got the message and pulled his sword out as well.

"You will use the different magic options I told you about while blocking my attacks, you will only be able to attack me using those option. Once you land a hit we can begin travelling again and you can rest." Harry explained roughly and a fearful look sprung into Eragon's eyes. Harry simply smirked in return and settled into a ready position. The boy likely hadn't fully gotten his energy back from the Urgal attack, but he needed to learn. He needed to have these fighting options that drew very little on his strength burned into his memory so he relied on those as the first option for now. His strength was growing at a good rate, but he still had so much work to do to really be able to face what was coming up next for him.

The pair didn't stop except for Harry to give Eragon a couple drinks that were equivalent to a pepper-up potion. The boy was able to keep going in the fights and Harry was completely aware of how tired the boy could get before he needed to stop and take the restorative draught. While Eragon would need to sleep for nearly a full day by the time they were done, he would react instinctively with the simpler and less stressful but still deadly options for fighting next time.

Saphira was more than a little miffed at Harry's approach but did appreciate his thoughts on the matter. Her hatchling would be a little better prepared for his next fight, and if these kinds of lessons were what he had to go through to stay alive, she wouldn't complain…tooloudly. She still give Harry a firm talking to as she flew overhead with her rider strapped into the saddle on her back.

Harry mostly tuned out the lecture she gave him; he acknowledged her protectiveness, but didn't worry about the rest. Eragon could use magic and, to be fair, had picked it up pretty well for only just finding out about it all over the past couple months, but because of that, he had to be even more careful. Stupid decisions now lead to death or the inability to use magic anymore and if he is to be of any use to anyone that can't happen.

As Harry had guessed, Eragon slept all night and most of the next day while he and the horses continued to push forward towards the town of Daret. Harry was focused on the items they needed once they reached the town when he heard a mental shout from Saphira. The dragon dropped quickly from the skies and landed next to Harry, concern coating the tenor of her mind as she told Harry that Eragon was having a nightmare that she couldn't wake him from.

Harry rushed over to the dragon's side and tried to shake the boy awake. When that garnered no response, Harry once more conjured water and let it splash on the boy's face. Eragon's eyes flew open and he gave a half-shout.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry rested his hand on Eragon's shoulder as the boy finished waking up. The boy looked around for a short time before focusing on Harry. "Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asked gently as he reached behind him and found a water skin without looking away from the recently awoken boy. Eragon looked up at him and shook his head at first before hesitating and looking up at the older man.

"There was a girl… I hadn't ever seen her before, but she said she was being held captive. She was in a cell; she was wearing dark clothing and had raven hair and…green eyes…I think. There wasn't any sound but it was easy to tell that she was in pain." Eragon explained.

"Is there anything else you can remember about the dream? Was it just a dark room or could you see anything in it?" Harry asked, his mind racing to try and understand what was going on. While it could just be a dream, there was always the question of whether it was only a dream or possibly something more.

As Eragon's eyes met Harry's, Harry slipped a mental probe in gently and quickly to grab the memory of the dream from his subconscious. It was less invasive and painful than trying to read surface thoughts or direct memories. It was further back in the mind where little attention is focused normally.

What Harry found was interesting as he quickly glanced through the dream. It was indeed as Eragon described it, with a being Harry could tell was an elf laid out on a table, arms and legs in a spread-eagle fashion. The dark fabric this elf was wearing brought a memory from Brom's past of a certain elf. As soon as he recognized the elf, he became worried. Arya, the elf that was being shown in this dream, was the one who was supposed to be ferrying the egg that Eragon had found back and forth. Pain was etched into the beautiful elf's face as she struggled slightly again invisible bonds.

Harry rocked back slightly as he pulled the mental probe from Eragon's mind gently. Eragon was still talking in detail about his dream. Harry mostly tuned out the boy's ramblings as he tried to understand everything that was going on. There was no doubt in his mind that the elf in the dream was Arya Svit-kona, Daughter to Queen Islanzadí and ambassador to the Varden for the past seventy years. Brom had gotten to know the elf extremely well during the young elf's younger years. After having been trained by the Dragon Rider Order, he had spent a good amount of time in the elven capital for various reasons.

The amount of time he spent there decreased in frequency, but increased in importance, to him, after the death of Arya's father, the Elven King. He had taken any time he could when he was in the area to stop in and talk with Arya, ask her how she was doing and check up on her in general. As Arya grew older, they would still often times meet and just talk over unimportant things. While Brom had been out and around quite a bit to take care of different errands for the Varden, the pair had sat and talked some when they were both between assignments. Brom's memories of her tears, laughter, and kind heart pulled strongly at Harry's mind, causing him a great amount of worry for the elf's situation.

It was something he had already worried about since he had received nothing from the Varden. With this little foray into the uncertain world of dreams and possibly even a vision of the important elf, those worries were brought to the fore of his mind and made it that much more pressing to find out what was happening. For the time being, Harry kept his thoughts and worries to himself so he had time to explore the issues in more depth. Harry told Eragon to begin his morning exercises since he highly doubted the boy would be able to sleep again and, after watching the young rider move off, Harry turned to get the pensieve he had created during his time in Carvahall and made his way to the outer edges of the camp. Settling down into the most comfortable position he could find on a decaying tree stump, Harry placed the inscribed bowl in front of him and murmured the words for scrying in the Ancient Language, trying to correlate what Eragon saw in his dream to the real world. If what the boy had seen was real, then there was great cause for worry and he needed to think about what should be done.

Knowing Arya she would likely endure massive amounts of torture, torture to the point of insanity even, without giving up any information or secrets. Galbatorix, in all his wisdom and dark magic likely could not tear the secrets from her lips. He had no desire for the elf to have to suffer such experiences. The water rippled for a few seconds as the residual magic from the runes on the bowl interacted with the magic of the Ancient Language and extended the scying spell past its normal limits.

Darkness swirled in the waters for a few moments before settling into an image of a darkened room with a form laid out on a stone table that was slightly larger than the form spread out on it. Harry held the image for a few moments and then twisted the magic he was pushing into the bowl to make the image back out slightly. The image smoothly flowed backwards, blacking out shortly as it passed through a wall and continuing to fly backwards over the outer walls. The image began to spin around the city as Harry continued to twist his magic in a different manner than what was normally done for the scrying spell.

It was one of the joys of knowing magic as well as he did, Harry had been doing magic of many different forms for so long that he could mix different techniques together to get a wholly new result. He understood how his magic worked and was able to alter his intent to receive a different outcome. There had been other scrying options available to him through different branches of magic, but he had found the magic of the Ancient Language wasn't anything less than precise. However, while people of this galaxy likely only knew how to speak the words of the Ancient Language and let their magic do the rest, Harry knew there were other venues.

Because of this, the end result the Harry was able to obtain was the image of Gil'ead.

Harry watched the image for a few moments before dispelling the magic and straightening his back as he sat. He closed his eyes and let his mind run free with thoughts and plans. He could go to Gil'ead to try and rescue the elven princess, but he wasn't sure if Eragon was ready for that kind of confrontation with enemies of that training or number. The problem with not going is that Arya would likely end up being killed and that would destroy any chance of getting the elves involved with fighting for the freedom of Alagaësia, if they hadn't already removed their support when Arya was captured. Plus, he couldn't bear the idea of just letting her die. Following the previous line of thought, if he had heard nothing from the Varden about the egg carrier, the elves were probably led to believe that she was killed and the only free egg at the time had been recaptured as well.

Coming to no real conclusion on the next course of action, he picked up the bowl and slowly made his way back to his satchel and put it away. Eragon was finishing up his warm ups and Harry decided to try pushing the boy a little harder in his training. Even though the decision hadn't been made yet, if they were given the option to break into Gil'ead, Eragon needed to be as prepared as possible.

A few hours later, Eragon collapsed to the ground with moans and a loud huff of air before beginning to breath deeply, working to get his breath back. Harry stood a short distance away, calmly sliding his sword back in its sheath and shaking his head at the boy. The sword fight had been rough, but part of the problem Harry was facing now was the boy was forgetting to breathe correctly. Harry took a small drink from his water skin and then placed it next to Eragon to get a drink from when the boy got his breathing under control. Harry wiped the small amount of sweat away that had gathered on his face and settled in on one of the rocks nearby.

"You have a long way to go, boy. You have completely forgotten your exercises in breathing and haven't grown any faster in your movements." Harry grumbled as Eragon slowly began the process of sitting up. The last half wasn't entirely fair for the boy since he had added a little more weight to his shoes and even some to the sleeves of the boy's shirt to inhibit his movement while fighting. The young rider would be a force to be reckoned with once he readjusted to his true weight when Harry began removing the extra, added bits finally, but he would still be no match for elves, or another rider and especially not Harry.

He let the boy continue working to catch his breath and then spoke. "Take a short break, grab some food, and try to rest up some. We will be leaving out in a couple hours to try to get to Daret by evening. From there, we will have to decide where we go from there. Make sure your mind is clear when we pack up to leave though. We will start going over the politics within the Varden first so that you won't be overwhelmed when we arrive there, however long of a time it will be before we arrive."

Harry moved away to get his things gathered and secured to his horse. They would likely have to stop again for the night before reaching Daret since Harry didn't want to push the horses, but he did not like feeling so exposed and open as he did in these plains. Eragon grumbled as he pushed himself up from the ground but mostly quieted as he munched on some of their provisions. Harry still heard mumbles of 'barmy old men' and 'people who enjoy causing pain to others' and even 'stupid storytelling fighters'. Harry chuckled as he continued to prepare his gear and horse for the next stretch of their journey.

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The sun was approaching the middle of the sky as Harry and Eragon made their way into the town streets of Daret, but they had, as of yet, seen no one around the town. Harry was feeling as though he was being watched and hated the sound of the dead silencearound him. He had been on edge ever since they got within a few hundred yards of the town. It wasn't a feeling of malicious intent towards them, but it seemed like there was someone or some ones who wouldkill them if they felt the need to. Eragon had his bow strung and an arrow notched already at Harry's direction and was carefully scanning the buildings and alleys that lined the street. The pair reached a point on the roadway and Harry softly told Eragon to stop. His hand still rested on the sword at his side, but he made no movement to pull it out. There was something that told him this was the stopping point. He couldn't go forward, shouldn't go backwards, and definitely not towards either of the buildings. His body had become so imbibed with magic over the centuries of use that his instincts were highly sensitive. Deciding he could protect himself and Eragon with magic if it truly came to that, he made an act of relaxing and bringing his hand away from his sword slowly. He could feel Eragon's confused look from the side but heard as the boy shifted to a relaxed position as well.

Wagons rushed into the street in front and behind them as men began lining the rooftops surrounding them, each with bows in hand and arrows notched on the string. A man made his way around the wagon in front of them with an arrow pulled back halfway, a sword hanging in the scabbard at his side.

Harry watched calmly as the man glanced quickly at the men lining the rooftops and then looked back at him and Eragon.

"What is your business here in Daret?" The man asked after a moment, still not relaxing his stance or readied weapon.

"My son and I are heading to Dras Leona to visit my sister. We stopped here to pick up some supplies." Harry answered easily.

"So heavily armed?" The man questioned as he glanced over both of them.

Harry gave a smirk, "These are dangerous times are they not? We have not received such a...warm welcome from the other towns, but it is not unreasonable all the same."

The man loosened the draw on his bowstring slightly and settled into a more relaxed stance, but Harry knew the man, if well trained, could still bring up the weapon and causes some injury in a very short amount of time if he felt threatened. "I would offer to shake your hand, but because of these times - well, you'll forgive me for foregoing the pleasantries. You said you only wish to buy rations?" He questioned as he waved someone forward. A younger man rushed from behind the wagon that blocked the roadway behind the man, "Young Berrik here will run to get what you need. You will stay here until he returns and then you will leave right after. I don't think you mean us ill will, but we have had more than a few looters, Urgals and bandits to trust you on your word alone."

Harry nodded, "I understand. We've just come from Yazuac. I'm terribly sorry to be the one bearing the news to you, but it has been wiped out. We encountered two Urgals during our very short stay here. It is the only reason we have stopped in here for what we need."

The man's shoulders drooped, "It is bad news you bring. Many friends were in Yazuac." He glanced around slightly at the men who were still lining the roofs though most had relaxed back to just being watchful. The man shifted forwards slightly and dropped his voice, "To be honest, the people of this town have been able to fend off a couple bandits here or an Urgal that has broken off from the main group. It has caused the people here to get a little overconfident in their abilities to protect themselves. I fear that it is only a matter of time before we are wiped out, much like you said Yazuac was..."

Harry nodded in understanding since he had seen the kind of people who likely lived in this town if they protect it this fiercely. He understood that these were people whose ancestors probably helped build the town with their blood sweat and tears. However, Eragon didn't have the previous experiences with townspeople who held this strongly to their homes and he spoke up, "Why don't you just get the people to leave and go somewhere safer?"

The man chuckled humorlessly, "The people here will likely never leave. They have grown up here and are practically bound to the land. The only way they will really leave is when they are carried from these walls to be buried. Even if the town was razed to the ground, I would not be surprised if they stayed and worked to rebuild the town once more."

Eragon held a shocked look on his face as reaction to the man's response. The conversation would have continued, but the young defender that had been sent to gather the requested supplies returned and Harry and Eragon waved their farewells before making their way out of the city once the path was cleared once more. Harry wished the men who watched their passage out of the town a good day and good luck. As they passed the gates, Harry reached over his hand and quickly channeled a protective spell into the walls that were connected to it and ultimately wrapped around the town. Harry shuddered slightly at the amount of magic the protective boost took, but shook it off easily after a few moments as his strengths quickly returned.

They walked a decent distance away and Harry looked over at Eragon, "Did you use any of your powers while we were in Daret?"

Eragon looked at Harry in confusion, "No, there was no real need since we didn't have to fight."

Harry nodded amiably though his smile was slightly condescending. "We have a new area of study to add if those are your true thoughts. Much like the manner in which you connect to Saphira or your horse, you can skim over another person's mind if they have no defenses."

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?" Eragon accused strongly.

Harry looked at Eragon for a few moments and bit back the scathing remark about naïveté that rested on the top of his tongue. Though it had been many years ago, Harry knew he had at one time been set in the same mindset. Harry, however, had lived through enough wars that he knew complete privacy was a rare commodity during unstable times like this. He did not take joy in ripping information from the mind of a stranger, nor did he take the liberty of rummaging through anyone's mind. He did highly respect the inner thoughts of others and only broke into then if there were ill intentions. Even in this latest encounter, he only skimmed over the man's surface thoughts and intentions.

"Trevor, that's the name of the man we spoke to in Daret." Harry stated calmly, watching as Eragon's face displayed disgust and disbelief at what the boy likely thought would be a nonchalant retelling of the man's entire being. Harry let that sit for a few moments before rectifying that misconception. "That, however, is all I truly know of the man's life an background." Harry lowered his mental protections, "Test my words and you will see exactly what I mean. Expand your mind and connect with mine like you would reach out to Saphira or your horse. Stretch out to where you can feelmy mind, but not actually go into it."

Eragon looked at Harry for a few moments with an indescribably look on his face before closing his eyes and a strained look flowed onto his face. Harry felt the mental tendril brush his mind and left his mental shields mostly down around the portion of memories from Brom that the boy knew of in case Eragon did try to go deeper. The mental brush stayed light, the presence on his mind staying to the outside until it roughly pushed forward and dug deeper in his mind before trying to get past some of the barriers he had put up. The twitch of his eye was the only sign on Harry's face at the discomfort, but he pushed away the irritation and grasped onto the mental probe Eragon had pushed into his mind. Harry dragged the boy's line of thought into a portion of his brain that he had created for people who tried to mentally attack him through the practice of Occlumency. His mental projection of himself roughly threw the projection of Eragon into the mental wall or the room.

"Thought you would go for it anyways, did you boy?If I was a person who was not so set on helping you learn to survive what will be coming in the future, I would kill you here and now for your impudence and your holier than thou attitude. Were you not the one who just recently tried to berate me for not respecting privacy? You wish to see what I saw of the man named Trevor of Daret? Here you are then." Harry roughly shoved the boy's probe into the memory of their time at Daret. He lightly fabricated bits and pieces to cover his mental musings that would not make sense or were irrelevant, but he allowed the boy to see the information he gained from his mental scan. After the memory ended, he tossed the boy against the wall again.

"That is my 'invasion of privacy" that you were so heated about. I felt for his intentions to judge how to handle the situation, the same thing I was trying to teach you how to do. You don't trust me? Suck it up and get over it. My past is none of your concern and is certainly not an open book you can just dive into. The only reason you were able to even feel MY intentions is because I allowed you to." Harry took a calming breath, "Now, as I said before, if I was anyone else, you would be dead for trying to push your way into my memories. If a person has been trained in the mental arts, they can disconnect your mental probe from your body, effectively removing a large portion of your thought process, which more or less kills you. Your body would still be able to function if it was given the nutrition it needs by someone else, but your mind would no longer exist in your body." Harry applied a small amount of pressure to the mental probe he still held in his mind from Eragon and the mental projection whimpered lightly at the pain, "This would be easy enough for me to crush right now and everything that makes you Eragon would be no more." Harry stated, the calmness of his voice sending shivers down Eragon's back.

Harry released his hold on the mental probe and felt it quickly recede from his mind as Eragon tried to get away as quickly as he could. The boy found himself on the ground with Harry standing over him. The older man offered a hand to the boy and helped him to his feet after Eragon accepted the help with some hesitation. After the boy was situated firmly on his feet, Harry pulled him closer and glared at him strongly, "If you ever do that to anyone else, I will make sure you have a headache for a month that will not go away with any kind of herbs or medicines and will run its course. Do you understand me?

"You have a good heart to desire the privacy of a person's mind, but if you break it like you just did, I will come down on you harder than you can imagine. I hold myself to high standards with this ability. I only use it to scan people's intentions until I find someone who is a nasty piece of work. At that point, I will rip their thoughts from their mind because those people will not go down without a fight and it is usually the innocents who are left dead from them." Harry stated fiercely and Eragon nodded in fearful understanding, scared speechless at this side of 'Brom' that he had never before seen.

"The only reason I relaxed while we were in Daret is because I could feel the clean intentions of Trevor, his men were likewise clear of evil intentions. Had they not been, I would have readied for a fight. Since they were not and were merely taking precautions to protect themselves, I knew it would be best to talk our way out." Harry said as he finally, fully calmed down. He sighed, "Now, I want you to think about how you would shield your thoughts from someone else. Test my mind again to see what it feels like when someone is shielding his or her mind from you. Do. Not. Try. To. Break. In. Clear?"

Eragon nodded hesitantly and Harry gave a half chuckle, "I won't do that again if you only do what you are supposed to."

Relaxing some, Eragon closed his eyes once more. They had continued moving once more and this particular lesson ended up stretching out over the next couple of days of travel. Eragon slowly loosened up around Harry again, but he knew the limits he could go to now. They were travelling directly south from Daret and reached the Toark River. The original plan had been for them to continue south towards Dras-Leona and then pass between Urû'baen and Helgrind to head towards the Varden. Being near the Toark River however helped the memory of an old colleague of Brom's resurface. The pair turned west and headed towards Woadark Lake and then turned to go on up the river's banks to Teirm.

Eragon had another dream of Arya, though it was mostly the same as before, Harry was becoming worried. First off, these types of happenings were not common in this realm. Dreams like this were not ordinary in this world, even when looking at the few people who had a stronger connection to magic. On top of that, it was obvious the elf was being tortured. The night following the Eragon's dream, Harry made sure Eragon and Saphira were sent into a deep sleep, courtesy of an overpowered sleep spell, and set strong wards around the campsite before popping off to check on the elven ambassador.

He arrived a decent distance from Gil'ead and spent the next couple minutes working to fully cloak himself. He charmed himself invisible and made it so he could move silently, but he also obscured his presence in magic and fully hid his mind. The last two were the most complicated to achieve. Skilled magicians or wizards or whatever you want to call it, could detect someone's presence and even magical strength whether the person was invisible and silent or not, however, if there was a mind somewhere that all other senses said there was nothing there, it would cause problems also. Most people do not think about the venues of detection, this was the reason Dumbledore could still find where he was even when under his father's invisibility cloak.

He checked over himself after casting the spells and then set forward to his destination. Being as heavily concealed as he was, it took very little time for him to slip inside the fortress and make his way to the dungeons. Most of the walk was relatively mundane, but he did come across a few detection spells that, even in his hidden state, would have brought all kinds of unwanted attention to his presence. The cells were mostly empty inside the dungeons of Gil'ead, but he was tipped off as to the location of Arya by the heavily spelled door at the end of the row. He quickly and easily disassembled the triggers and alerts before slipping inside.

The sight that greeted him was one he wished he didn't have to see. Bruises, cuts and dried blood caked onto the elf's body. She had likely just been returned from a recent session since she looked worse off than she had in the dream the previous night. Harry quickly set about casting healing and glamor spells, though they took much longer since he was working to conceal the magic use from anyone who might be paying attention and afterwards he world remove the trace of them being used. He worked quickly, healing any wounds he could find whether only skin deep or injuries she had sustained on her organs. From there, he began placing protection wards over her and then concealing them to the point even Arya would not know they were there. He worked tirelessly over the elf's prone form and then moved on to the room.

The end result of his work not only protected the elf, but also made it so that only the most strong willed being, like that of the Great Dragon Spirit, could walk in without being tricked by his wards. If a person came in planning to torture or question the elf, they would be stunned for a certain amount of time and their mind would be forced into a mental realm where they seemed to torture Arya. Once they finished with their session, they would be allowed to wake up by the magic and would leave the room thinking they had truly tortured the elf. Harry doubted even Galbatorix could get by the ward without some serious work.

In the event the ruse was discovered, he had layered on more wards to protect Arya and alert him. He could not take Arya from captivity right now since he would have to explain to Eragon where he had found the elf. Add to the equation that it was an elf he had been dreaming about, and it was simply not plausible.

During the time he was working and as he was leaving, Harry realized how oblivious Brom had been around Arya. Seeing her in person, the memories of the elf were fuzzy and did no justice to the woman by comparison. Seeing her in Eragon's mind had been a disservice to her as well. As soon as he stepped into the cell and saw past the physical evidence of torture, he noticed just how beautiful the elven princess was. As the bruises and cuts disappeared under his healing spells, that fact was built upon.

He noticed as the elf's personal magic began flowing again, after finding and removing the drug that had been placed in her system, that there was almost a Veela type allure to presence. Brom had been taught around elves, as a Rider in his younger years, and at first had to have a spell placed over him to keep him from being drawn in. It was not as powerful or encompassing as the Veela allure could be, but it was definitely enrapturing.

Harry appreciated the added level of attraction to the elf because of the draw, but brushed it aside to truly look at the female before him. Fleur learned closer to the end of her life how to almost fully shut off her allure for a few minutes. It was very taxing on her, but it was impressive the change it brought to her physical appearance. She did not age in an ugly way and was still very attractive the last time he had seen her, but his vision of her did dim slightly when the allure was shut down. It was different in this instance, Arya did not lose any of her attractiveness, only the supernatural draw that made normal mortals lose their train of thought or do foolish things.

Harry chuckled as he passed the outer gates of Gil'ead and prepared to jump back to the campsite a short distance from Teirm. He would need to cast the same spell Brom had received on Eragon so that the boy did not do or say something foolish. Brom had been warned beforehand about the natural lure of elves and more than a few times had been around friends who had tried to remove the charm, thinking they had things under control.

He heard the arrogant and idiotic words and then watched the stupid decisions made by those same friends, or then heard the stories afterwards, of their supposed control. More often than not, those same friends later berated themselves, claiming they didn't know why they said such things and, after reapplying the charm, went to apologize to the elf they had offended. Brom had found it mildly humorous in his younger years; the elves usually didn't and Harry didn't really want to have to deal with that from the young Rider. The young farm boy got himself into more than enough trouble on his own without having his thinking process altered by the company of a beautiful elf princess.

Harry released the wards around the camp before taking the spells off the Dragon and her Rider. He let them finish sleeping and began working on breakfast, trying to decide how to approach Brom's old friend in Teirm. The man knew Brom better than most others so his acting, voice and approach would have to be perfect. People could change over time, but not from how Brom was to the way Harry sometimes allowed himself to act. It would be interesting to see how this meeting went.

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Eragon and Saphira woke shortly after he returned and the two humans reached Teirm within a few short hours of travel. Harry and Eragon easily slipped into the city and Harry directed them to one of the seedier pubs in the town. They were able to gain information on where Jeod's offices and home were located and quickly made their way there.

Harry glanced at the Herbalist's shop next door and smiled at the look on the woman's face that was seated at a cauldron outside her shop. It reminded him greatly of the expression his Headmaster had been known to wear quite frequently. He looked over her ingredients, which given names and uses through Brom's memories, for a second and guessed at a detection potion of some kind. The young looking woman held a toad in her hand as she stirred the mixture.

Memories of Brom's frustration at the woman's temperament from the single fact that she easily held an expression on her face that would frustrate and infuriate some, he asked, "Could you tell us which of these houses belongs to Jeod?"

Without looking up the woman replied, "I could."

Harry smirked; Brom's memories were slowly floating to the top about this woman. Her and her werecat (which he now noticed at her feet) had been around more than a few times, and years for that matter. While Brom found her personality irritating, Harry loved it.

He let her reply set for a few moments before asking, "Will you tell us which house Jeod lives in?"

Still without looking up, she moved over to scribble some obscure findings on the parchment to her right, "Yes."

She left the response hanging as she continued writing and Harry could feel as Eragon slowly worked up his frustration at the woman. Harry was about to raise his hand to calm the boy when Angela spoke again, "Of course I will tell you, but you haven't truly asked for me to yet. You asked if I could, and then if I would, but you never asked me to tell you."

Harry gave the woman a smirk and received a wink while Eragon was looking away in irritation, trying to calm himself. Harry sent out a mental image of him laughing deeply and the small widening of her smile showed that Angela received the picture.

"Let me speak plainly then, which house does Jeod live in? And on a different matter, why are you holding up a toad?" Harry stated, trying to contain his mirth at the woman's personality. It was so reminiscent of Dumbledore that he simply could not contain his smile. The man had a certain way about him that threw most people for a loop.

Angela's smile widened more, "Now we are getting somewhere! Jeod is on the right. May I ask however, how you knew this is a toad? You see, I am trying to prove that toads don't actually exist and that there are only frogs."

Harry gave an amused smile and sighed contentedly, "A very noble task to undertake, to be sure. Though I am quite afraid that your endeavors will be quite fruitless to destroy the existence of toads. Toads can be considered frogs, but not all frogs can be considered toads, leaving them as a separate entity. It does greatly reduce the chances of you finding a toad however, since you just have to try until you find one. I'm not entirely familiar with the potion you are making, but perhaps a touch of Berconite would be desirable, only a minor amount though since it has been known to react…impressively, with the Borshan leaf extract. What is the reason for trying to disprove the existence of toads though? The main thing that sets them apart is…" Harry trailed off in understanding.

"Aye, their use in dark rituals." Angela stated, her eyes settled intensely on Harry, "I appreciate the advice. Perhaps we could…speak more…at a later time." Curiosity blazed in her eyes as she looked Harry over. He knew she recognized Brom, but not the way he was acting since Harry was responding in the complete opposite way that she was used to from the old rider. He bid her good day and moved on to knock on Jeod door. He wasn't worried about Angela, the herbalist knew how to keep a secret with the best of them, her own life shrouded in more mystery than the creation of Alagaësia.

The pair was greeted at the door of the home by Jeod's wife and after a small bout of bickering and pleading, they were allowed in to see the man. Jeod met with them in the small office he had in the house and greeted 'Brom' eagerly. They spoke lightly for a few moments before Jeod ushered them from the house and directed them to his shipping office.

The meeting with Jeod with wonderfully, Harry subtly steered conversation away from past events that Jeod knew of and then asked Eragon to go grab some supplies while he and Jeod caught up. Eragon, thankfully, was oblivious to the subtle maneuverings and went off without complaint.

After Eragon left, they were able to go a little deeper in discussion, but it was still mostly over things he knew already. Harry gave the man some heads up about some possible travellers coming through looking for passage to Surda. Should things work like Harry hoped they would, he would be able to get Garrow and his family to Surda along with Jeod and his wife Helen without too much trouble. He would talk with Garrow again soon and suggest that they head towards Teirm and grab a boat with Jeod. If they were leaving soon or had left already, the waters should be easily traversable and they could slip away without drawing attention.

Jeod's ships were being constantly attacked when he was doing shipments for the Varden and had suggested to Harry that there might be a spy somewhere in the Varden's ranks. The possibility was worrying, but if they had been situated for a while then it was likely the cause behind the success of the ambush on Arya's travelling group. There was no other way her and the two elves that travelled with her would have been overwhelmed and captured or killed. Even at odds of ten to one, the traveling trio were highly skilled warriors who, unless caught completely unprepared or facing heavier odds than would be plausible to move in secret, should have been able to fight their way out of it rather than leaving two dead and one spirited away.

Harry asked about any reports Jeod had about there being a shade or not. Jeod unfortunately was able to confirm the reports and also spoke of the possibility of two Ra'zac being involved in the destruction of his ships. Harry sat back at this news and let his mind mostly shift away from the conversation. The Ra'zac were beginning to become a problem, one that would be best dealt with sooner than later. The pair finished their discussion and locked up the office before beginning to go to the streets to wander around and speak of more mundane topics.

They found Eragon at one of the street-side vendors and the trio made their way to a pub that was a short distance away. Over diner, the trio spoke of the Ra'zac and Harry decided they should do what they could to stop the terror and threat they offered.

The easiest way to do that is to find where they call home and attack them there. While some would call it home court advantage, it would be the best place to find them. Harry worked through Brom's memories to think of anything that they could use to track the fell beasts. Seithr Oil was the easiest to track that he could think of, and with Jeod, they could probably get into the shipping records to find the distribution points. That, however, would leave them in the city for a few days while they worked to find a way into the records room. Eragon stated he wanted to meet up with 'a dear friend' if that was the case and Harry nodded his consent.

The next day found Eragon with Saphira, and Jeod with a few rolls of parchment detailing various laws to see if he could get access to the records they wanted legally. While Harry was technically able to get in and out of the records without being seen or, at the very least, remembered, Jeod and Eragon were in on the search also, hampering his movements. This left Harry with little to do so he decided to have a talk with Angela again. He had greatly enjoyed their last talk.

He moved from Jeod's house and entered the shop and began looking around. The incense that was burning left the room smoky similar to how Trelawney's classroom usually was, but the smell wasn't so intense that it made your head spin like it would in the Divination room. He had sometimes wondered if the 'seer' had accidentally found some "chemically altered plants" and had mixed them in. It would explain some of her 'visions'.

He noticed as he looked around, that the witch seemed to have various objects that were as strange as some of Dumbledore's silver instruments that had lined his office. His senses were on high alert, but he was still slightly startled as he felt something brush against his leg for a few moments. He looked down to find Solembum, the werecat.

Harry chuckled, "Be happy I was slightly expecting you to be around, Solembum. I would have hated to have kicked you across the room for scaring me like that."

The werecat stopped rubbing up against his legs and looked up at him with his glowing eyes, "Be happy you did not, old one, I would have hated to have scratched you up for doing such a disgraceful thing."He heard in his mind. The tone of the voice was lightly threatening, but highly amused.

Harry chuckled in response, "Yes, I suppose I would not have enjoyed that either. How have things been Sol?" The cat hissed lightly at the shortened name but started rubbing against Harry's leg once more and rumbled out a low purr, "I see you're still hanging around the eccentric one." He continued easily, letting his eyes roam around the store once more in curiosity and observation.

"Is that what you are calling me nowadays?" A voice from behind him asked and Harry shivered at the feeling of power that oozed from Angela's voice. It wasn't big or overly impressive as Dumbledore's, who wore his impressive amount of power like a heavy winter cloak. It was what Harry thought Salazar's magical presence would be like. Not dark as some would initially assume when such a statement was made, rather, much like his house's stated characteristics: subtle, cunning and deadly when needed. Her voice continued in the same amiable tone, though he knew the conversation could shift greatly at her next words. "Though I suppose this is the first time youhave called me that." The deadly portion of her magical presence became pronounced, "Just who are you, and why are you posing as Brom?"

The voice grew closer and he felt something poke into his back; he had not turned around when Angela first spoke. "What have you done to Brom, and where is he?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Angela, why am I not surprised that you noticed the difference. You are the first to notice, but I suppose that is because I haven't been around anyone as unique as you that knew Brom from before. If you will permit me, I would like to cast some spells to ensure we will not be overheard?" Harry asked calmly, making no sign of movement or threat. While he doubted he would have much trouble getting out of any issue that arose, he really wanted to start off his first meeting with the witch, with her knowing he wasn't actually Brom, on the best footing possible. Her continuing to hold her weapon to his back was not his idea of a good first few moments. Thankfully it was salvageable, if she decided she felt like cooperating.

A few seconds passed before Angela gave a grunt of consent and the intense glare lessened from the back of his head, as did the pressure on his back. He kept both hands visible and slowly moved his fingers and spoke the incantations for privacy wards softly, but clearly enough for Angela to hear what was being said. Not that she would understand the language he used since it was Latin. Curiosity blazed in her eyes once more as he turned to face her.

"Now, to speak candidly…or should I speak in riddles much as you do? I dare say I could probably be nearly as mysterious as you. I'm many years older than you are, even if I do not know your exact age, I have a decent feel for your presence. I suppose you could be concealing parts of it like I am though." Harry spoke easily and released a large portion of his magical presence to fill just the room, still settled inside the privacy wards that kept him from being truly sensed by anyone other than Angela.

The herbalist took a step back in shock and nodded her head in slight respect, "I am surprised, Old One. I had thought your people had left existence. I had only known of the descendant of one previously." She stated softly. Harry could see her mind rushing to understand the new information.

Harry chuckled, "Don't get ahead of yourself. I don't know what People you are referring to, though I am quite old, this is not my original place of being. You know how to keep your secrets; that is certainly clear with all the curiosity that surrounds you and your past. 'Can I trust you to keep my secrets', is the question that matters. I certainly do not plan to tell all, however, to answer your questions from earlier, I am sorry to bear the news that Brom has been dead these last eleven years. A band of travelling Urgals, at least thirty strong, stumbled upon him and ultimately succumbed to a blade wound that held poison.

"I had healed him to the best extent I could, but the poison was what rumors call "Kingsbane" from Urgal potioneers. It is resistant to magic, and I had not known enough about your plants or posions to be able to help. We traveled a short distance and then, within a half day of me finding him and helping kill the Urgals, he was gone. He made me swear to protect and train the next Dragon Rider. I…received his memories to help with the task, it is why I knew of Jeod and yourself." Harry finished finally.

Solembum had moved over next to Harry during the retelling and he absentmindedly stroked the werecat. The purring grew louder as the story finished and continued into the silence between Harry and Angela.

"So you know of everything?" Angela asked softly, her expression unreadable.

Harry sighed, "No, I have Brom's memories since he was a young boy and I have done extensive research and studying during the decade I spent in Carvahall, but I highly doubt I know of everything. It has been much easier to adjust to being here with the help of his memories. I am saddened that I could not do more for him though. He was undoubtedly a great man, and would have been a great asset to the Varden's goals." Harry stated quietly.

Angela looked up, "You will not help the Varden?" She asked heatedly.

Harry chuckled, "If Brom's memories hold true, you yourself have not truly sided with them either, you like to be 'where the action is' and will join in with a fight if it suits your fancy. Otherwise you remain neutral. But no, I willbe helping the Varden, but I doubt it will be as Brom. His presence has nearly reached the end of his usefulness in the boy's life." Harry grimaced lightly at the callous statement of the boy losing the man who was his father…but… Harry shrugged the thoughts away. "On top of that however, it seems like said boy will do something quite stupid soon. Life and death situations are a common occurrence around him it seems.

"Does that answer all of your questions though?" Harry asked and looked over at the clock, they had been talking for nearly an hour, "I suppose you could ask more, whether I answer then or not though remains to be seen." He trailed off mischievously.

"No, a little mystery keeps intrigue high, and I must say that you are very intriguing. I would wonder…do you have enough mystery in your life, or do you normally just cause it in others?" Angela waited for a few seconds, not expecting any answer from the man, "I do wonder…would you care for me to give you a reading?"

Harry watched the herbalist for a few moments, eyes narrowed slightly, trying to decide if he wanted to take a foray into the murky waters of divination and interpretation of signs. Deciding that it wouldn't really hurt, he shrugged. He glanced around the shop and saw a couple glass balls, some cards and a few other items that had been used in many of the other realms and galaxies he had visited.

Angela caught he roaming eyes and chuckled, "Yes, these are all for show, the true power lies in the knucklebones of a dragon and the Ancient Language. While these out here are cheap imitators, the knucklebones are almost always correct, though hard to interpret. Are you sure you will be able to handle what is found?"

Harry looked at her for a few moments and smirked, "I have been on the receiving end of more than a few prophecies, some false, some true, but they have been handled. I have no qualms of what you find." He said confidently.

Angela brought out the bones and spread them out on the table before her. She then scooped them all up in her hands, whispered over them and then lightly tossed them into the air. The bones glowed lightly and hung in the air for a few seconds, defying gravity, before slowly sinking to the table and coming to lay in a scattered jumble, a small roll here or twist there after they had mostly settled, before becoming completely still.

Angela looked at the bones for a few moments. "I am not sure…" She spoke after nearly a minute passed and then fell silent once more. Solembum languidly strolls over and sits down next to Angela's arm, looking over the bones as well. His ear twitches and he tilts his head to one side. Angela looks up at Harry and points to where two bones lie closely together, one overlapping the other at a small angle, "The only two signs I can fully make out are here." She pointed to them. "This first one is 'Return', but this second one I have never seen before…one that is similar, yes, but...it is different from that sign..."

Harry leans forward and looks at the image that came up from the two bones crossing together, he gave a small sigh of recognition and leaned back.

He quickly checks the wards he put in place and, after finding them secure, allows his features to shift back to his base form. The face and body of Harry Potter melts into existence from the confines of Brom's body. The white and gray of age disappears and the weathered skin with deep wrinkles give way to short, raven hair and mostly smooth, lightly tanned skin. Angela gives a gasp as scars from previous battles come into view, but it is a single one that she now recognizes that drew her attention.

The bones before her had seemingly fallen in a manner that had a line that seemed to have been broken in half, the bottom half drug to one side, and then reconnected with a small horizontal line. Harry wondered at the meaning behind the knucklebones that showed his lightning bolt scar and…

A gasp broke his musings. Angela tapped his arm that was resting on the table they were seated at, "I can read them now. But…"

As Harry looked back at the bones, he saw the two that had joined to form the lightning bolt had spun and twisted away from each other and resettled. He looked up at Angela and found a surprised look on her face, staring at the bones in disbelief.

"In all my years, I have only seen dragon knucklebones shift after they fell on two occasions, including yours. But I have never seen them shift twice, and certainly not this long after the toss…" Angela stated as she leaned in closer to look at the bones that were now next to her nose.

Solembum sniffed around the bones that had shifted again, but still mostly kept his distance. Angela looked over at the werecat, "We will need to do some research on this. I think I remember reading of this before, somewhere, but it will be in a very rare and obscure tome wherever it is."

Solembum gave her a look and she gave a light laugh, "Fine, fine, I have some searching to do. You just go clean off your paws and fur while I do all the hard work." Solembum flicked his tail and it hit Angela on the nose, causing her to laugh again, "Anyways, back to the reading; you must be the single most difficult person to read. Some of these look like other signs I have seen before, but they are altered slightly." Angela hummed lightly as she continued looking over the bones before turning to the side and drawing out some parchment and a writing utensil.

She glanced at the bones and began transcribing them onto the paper set in front of her. Harry noticed her hand trembling slightly as she transcribed three of them. He made no mention of it and Angela looked up after a few moments of sketching. "If you don't mind waiting around, I will do some looking and see what I can find. We could talk a little more about less mysterious things while I work. Perhaps what you have been working on during your self-imposed exile?" She looked up from her work and looked hopefully towards Harry. Solembum moved back over and plopped down in Harry's lap, purring contentedly once more and Harry laughed for a minute and lightly jostled his shoulders.

"Looks as though I have little choice in the mater." He said amiably.

Angela nodded smugly, "That's right you don't. Now, spill."

The next few hours Harry spent with Angela were very mundane, which would be odd if you asked anyone who had talked to Angela before. Conversations with her simply were not mundane. The eccentric herbalist would never talk in a straight line and when she did, it was so twisted back on itself that it still left you pondering the conversation for days. All-in-all, her days seemed to mostly be filled with mundane tasks, stirring a cauldron here, harvesting some plants that only grew wherever she was located at the time, studying, or some other task within her shop. Or at least that was all she mentioned.

Now the items she studied, and the potions she made in the cauldrons were anything but mundane, but she was her mysterious self as she spoke and he did not learn of their origin or use. Harry decided to speak candidly with the woman since he had been given very little opportunity since he had arrived. He did not speak of his time before arriving here in Alagaësia, but the training he had pushed himself through during his 'self-imposed exile' was given as an open book. He spoke some of his studies with mixing his magic with the Ancient Language. Angela had stopped searching for a few moments to focus completely on what he was saying. Aside from those few moments, Angela moved easily around her shop, disappearing at times through the curtain to the back portion of the building to look for books. Solembum was making his own trek through the building, often times having to scurry out of the way of Angela's flurry of feet. Harry watched and continued speaking but a smile crossed his face more than once. It was humorous watching the pair search the place. Finally there was an exclamation of joy from the back room that Angela had just recently entered.

The herbalist reentered the main room that Harry was seated in; holding a small booklet, about the size of what Harry would have called a personal journal. He said as much, "That is quite the large tome you have there!"

Angela shot him a mock glare and continued closer to the table. She set it on the table next to the bones that had slowly lost the symbols that had been on them and opened the cover gently. "This is a very old book. It was old before even I was born, actually, so that really puts it in perspective. However, it is the best place to go for questions about fortune telling and divination." With those words, she began to carefully move from page to page, pausing here and there to glance back at the copied symbols.

"If it is the best then why not go there first?" Harry quipped amusedly.

Angela poked him in the stomach, "Hush you, or I'll tuck this book back away where I found it." Harry raised his arms in a sign of surrender.

His smirk fading slowly, Harry watched quietly, trying to get a grasp on things that had happened so far for the day. Angela was turning out to be very similar to a mix of Hermione and Dumbledore, and maybe five or six other people he knew. She was extremely...unexplainable. From Brom's memories, she could be one way for a few days, and then a week later it is like she is a completely different person. Harry was seeing an entirely new side of her right now with their conversation and watching her move about in her shop. She probably had not been here long, nor would she stay put much longer, but it seemed like she had been here for decades and was completely at ease moving around the piles of odds and ends. The randomness and unique perspective she held was refreshing and Harry could see himself staying good friends with the witch. If she was so inclined by their next meeting, at least.

She was still transferring notes to the parchment with the symbols on it and was flipping between a couple different ones over and over again. "I think I have most of what I need for getting it all worked out. I'll start with the first one that we saw before the rest became clearer to see. The lightning bolt you have on your forehead looks like one of the symbols that I have seen on the knucklebones before, it is a terrible omen normally. Usually it tells of a coming death or great pain, but that looks as though it is a very old scar."

Harry nodded, "I was marked as a baby, by a man not much unlike the Black King here."

Angela's eyes dimmed slightly from the joy of reading the difficult fortune and grieved with him for a few moments over what was likely a very difficult life. She continued after a moment, "The next one I am pretty confident on. Normally, the sign for long life, or extremely long life is a long horizontal line. If it depicts a length of life that is nearing immortality, the horizontal line runs through the middle of a circle. The one I saw on your bones was different because the line had a loop inside the circle. It looked like there was a small triangle that was cut in half inside the loop, but I couldn't be sure. Loops usually signify a repeat of some kind, but I could find no strong reference to the two smaller triangles that were put together to make a whole, which is why I think I was seeing things. I think you have explained well enough of you not being from around here for me to make my own assumptions, but I will say no more.

"The next grouping is interesting. First, the wandering path, it lies across the second, a hand gripping the hilt of a sword. The third is the symbol of a tree being canopied by seven stars underneath the other pair of symbols. The first represents many choices and leadership; the second usually denotes struggle and conflict, usually battles of some kind and lastly, something akin to royalty. With the three of these together, I would assume you would be in the highest rank of leadership of a fierce group and your choices will decide the fate of many, but I cannot say how soon this will happen.

"Alongside those three, we have a Black Morning Glory that is budding into the North Star. The romance this flower implies is…staggering, to say the least, and the North Star's presence represents stability and consistency. I would speak more, but they are only assumptions and some things are best left unknown till the time is right." Angela took a deep breath and focused her attention on the last three symbols. She gave a sigh after a few moments and a minute shudder raced through her, something Hary was barely able to catch and it worried him slightly.

"I will pass these last three on to you, as I can find nothing about them and have never even heard of anything similar to them in fortune telling. My mind has slowly been losing its clarity on some things because of age, but I would never allow myself to forget something about fortune reading or at the very least would have written the information down to find later. I can only assume that these three have never been seen by anyone who has written down their findings or shared them with anyone." She slid the paper over to Harry so he could take a closer look at the symbols she had not been able to interpret.

Harry looked at the symbols for a few seconds and wondered at the slight shift in the feeling of truthfulness of Angela's words, but felt the approach of Eragon. He smirked and stood, "I'm sorry, but we will have to cut this short, Eragon is on his way in. I think you caught his attention earlier. He is nearly to your door, so don't mind me and my disappearing act." He said easily and cast a disillusionment charm on himself, still clutching the parchment with the three symbols. They weren't immediately familiar, but he would have to go back through his memories with occlumency to see if he could match it up with anything he had seen before. He slipped the sketched symbols into his cloak to look over at a later time.

He focused back on his surroundings and smiled as he watched Angela's eyes widened as he disappeared and she began to scramble around quickly to pick up the bones, the loose books and she rushed into the back area to begin putting them back up. Solembum watched her rushed movements and stretched leisurely before hopping up on the table and settling into a comfortable position. The young Rider entered cautiously after knocking on the outer door. Harry watched in amusement from his hidden position as the boy wandered throughout the shop before becoming increasingly curious about one of the object in the store. Harry felt Solembum stretch out with his mind and contact the curious boy. Eragon instantly straightened up and looked around, after a few moments, the curious expression returned and he reached out to touch the item. He gave a small jump as his hand came into contact with it and Solembum mentally reached out and spoke to Eragon again.

The short conversation that occurred between Solembum and Eragon was cut short as Angela made her way back out to the main part of the shop. Angela offered to show Eragon his fortune since Solembum had spoken with him. Harry figured she would have anyways since it wasn't very often you got to read the fortune of a Dragon Rider. Angela tossed the bones once more, but her words this time were different and very clear. Harry could feel the Ancient Language working and knew from the shiver that passed through Eragon that the boy had as well. He smiled, this certainly was true fortune telling, nothing like the old bat Trelawney did during class.

The wandering path, a lightning bolt, and a sailing ship were also seen for the boy and Harry mourned the dark omen that hung over the boy, Eragon had no previous encounter with it, meaning something was likely going to happen before long. The ship was slightly worrying since Angela explained it as Eragon having to leave and never return to Alagaësia. Not the most desirable outcome since Eragon was considered to be the last rider and was supposed to rebuild the Dragon Riders here in Alagaësia.

Finally was the prediction from the rose and sun symbol. Eragon was foretold to find romance. Angela stated the sun represented someone who would rise from their current position to reign over those she had been alongside. Harry could see Eragon's confusion at all the information he had just been given and knew the boy would likely want to talk about it a little later. He was proud that the boy had taken the chance and worked to find the resolve to face what was predicted to be his future. Parts of it were not too bad, but there were two predictions that would likely worry the boy. He would have to teach him scrying before too long to let him keep track of his family.

Speaking of Eragon's family, he needed to meet up with Garrow before too long to push him towards Teirm to catch a ride with Jeod. Brom's old friend needed to close his shipping business and get into Surda as it was, and Garrow, Roran and Katrina all needed to find safer housing that in the King's backyard/playground. Surda was removed far enough from the Black King to make the sometimes-harsh traveling conditions very worth the discomfort.

Harry slipped out quietly, mentally letting Solembum that he would try to come back again before he left if the two were in when he was free. Solembum acknowledged before turning his attention back to the dragon rider. Harry was able to leave without drawing any attention to his passing.

The rest of the time spent in Teirm was in a frantic rush, trying to get everything together they needed. Harry had been able to get away and track down Eragon's family and once more disguised himself and suggested they meet up with Jeod in Terim. He gave Garrow a map to easily find Jeod when they reached the port town. Harry was sure to spell it so only Garrow, Roran and Katrina could see it.

When Harry returned to Terim he subtly mentioned to Jeod that three of Eragon's relations would be coming to meet him. He had made Brom's old friend accept some money he had stashed away during his years in Carvahall to help cover housing and travel costs. Having taken care of the hard part, he was able to convince them that when the relatives arrived, they should be ready to move on to Surda. Harry impressed on them the importance of secrecy since there were worries of a traitor inside the Varden.

Harry, Eragon and Jeod had been able to gain access to the records they were looking for and, with Solembum offering to act as a lookout, were able to get the information they needed and get out without raising any suspicion, though it was a very close thing.

The information ultimately led to Harry and Eragon planning their next stop to be Dras-Leona, a town that rested in the shadows of Helgrind. Harry felt like they should be on the move once more and Eragon was ready to be joined with Saphira after their longest time of separation, so they informed Jeod they would be staying a final night and then would be leaving to continue on. The Ra'zac would be set upon shortly and hopefully their existence be removed without too much trouble.

They awoke and departed the next day with few problems and full supplies. They were a few miles from the town heading back down the Toark River when Eragon brought up the reading he received from Angela. Harry was surprised the boy had been able to go for so long without asking about it, figuring the new Rider's curiosity would have been bursting from the seams.

Harry chuckled at the view Eragon had about the fortune telling. "Eragon, you must understand something. I have heard many 'fortune tellings' and 'prophecies' in my time. Some have been worthless, others have been useful and the rest of them are not worth listening to. You said you felt the power Angela invoked when she cast the bones, but just because it is likely the telling is true, does not mean that you haveto follow what is said. Do your best to make your own way. You will have many factions trying to tell you what to do as it is. You don't need to give your ear to try and understand what you are 'destined' to do." Harry shifted and looked directly at the boy.

"I will say this, however. When she cast the bones for you, she likely did not use the words for fate or destiny in the ancient language. She would have used obscure words that tested your heart, checked your resolve and dug deep into your spirit. It would also likely have checked throughout the land to find who you will likely be comfortable around, a person who will likely rise up to be an equal to your stature and position. However, the fortune does not dictate where you go or why you go there. Only that it is likely where you will end up. Think no more on it. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Right now you are seeking direction and you must find that direction before we bring you to the Varden and the Elves, because they will try to make your direction theirs." Harry stated easily, his mind returning to his first year for a few moments before returning to focus on the path ahead of them.

"It sounds like you do not trust the Varden or the Elves." Eragon stated in a confused tone.

Harry chuckled, "I trust them deeply, because I know they are doing what they think is best and they are doing their best to make Alagaësia a better place for all. But they have more waiting in the wings for when this war is over. They are not malicious plans that will bring destruction, but they have each come to enjoy being their own master with none above them. Do not misunderstand me. Riders do not aspire to rule, they only work to spread peace and equality. If we were to find a way for Urgals to fill their bloodlust without killing humans or dwarves, we would be able to live with them as neighbors. They maybe brutes, but until recently they have been brutes with honor. They hold to strange customs to be sure, but still honorable. It is why I believe there is more behind their newly displayed aggression, but I have no proof.

"Back to our main topic though. The Varden, Dwarves, and Elves all have things they want to see done. Things that fit within their customs that they think work wonderfully, and some of those things do work well—for them. By being bound to the different races, you set yourself up to pleasing one or, if you are lucky, two, but largely offending another. Riders must be separate, though not truly above. The riders of old ran into trouble having no form of accountability. Galbatorix's mindset was the offspring of their pride and over-inflated ego. He only took it to a greater extent than they did." Harry trailed off at the end and glanced at Eragon who was riding silently beside him.

"For so many years you spoke of the Riders as these great men, who could do no wrong and it was all Galbatorix's fault." Eragon paused for a few moments. "Hearing these things of them, you pointing out their follies... I don't understand. Were the Riders corrupt back then?" Eragon asked, confusion completely overtaking him.

"Not in the way you are thinking. It is much as I described the races I spoke of, they had their traditions and customs that worked well for them and thought that everyone should follow their example. In the end, their pride likely over extended itself. Their wisdom failed them, and they took on an outlook of Masters of Alagaësia. Did they know this was how they had come to see it, likely not. It had probably been such a slow transition that they never noticed their perspective changing, the mistakes they were beginning to make. This is why I came to help you Eragon. So that you can learn from the faults of the men who went before you." Harry answered him calmly.

Brom's view on the Riders had been much like Eragon's; they could do no wrong, they acted in wisdom and fairness. To an extent they did, and Alagaësia prospered under them, but it was only a shadow of what it could have been. Harry's perspective was of one who was removed from the situation. He was able to look at the things done by the Council of Elders in the Riders Order and see every side of the arguments.

He had spent nearly three years time all together using Occlumency to go through Brom's memories and take them to heart. This gave him a unique perspective to the world he now resided in, and he could fully understand why Galbatorix thought he should get a new dragon. Such decisions had been made before with similar circumstances, but there were, more than likely, underlying politics that halted the acceptance for him to receive a new dragon.

Harry shook himself. "Eragon, the main thing you must be aware of, is that youmust decide the path you take. You will always have someone near to help you decide which path to take, but you have to decide the direction. If the direction you are going becomes a dead end, admit your mistake, and start anew. If you are to become the next leader of the Dragon Riders, you must become the man you are slowly working towards and you must make the hard decisions. Never what is easy, but always what is right. I don't think your heart would allow you to do anything less, though. Right?"

Eragon nodded in response and Harry smirked lightly. "I doubt Saphira would let you do much else than that also."

Eragon smiled, knowing that the man's words held a great amount of truth. The rest of that day's travel was spent in contemplative silence.

They had picked back up on Eragon's training and Harry was pleased to see the boy was now instinctual with the easier ways of fighting with magic and sword and had begun blending the two together wonderfully at Harry's urging. Eragon had struggled with it at first since he had to somewhat divided his attention between speaking the spell and fending off the sword strikes. Once he got the hang of it though, he began being trained in his accuracy of the magical attacks. Harry would be sparring with him and Eragon would have to send rocks towards a target Harry had painted on a number of surrounding tree trunks. There were different numbers written above each of the targets, and Eragon had to send a rock towards the one Harry called out. Once again, he was a little slow on the initial uptake, but once he got it down, Harry changed it up on him again.

Instead of calling out the numbers, Harry made different ones glow ever so often and make a noise. Eragon had to spar with Harry while still keeping his senses aware of the things surrounding him. This was one he could not get accustomed to before they reached Dras-Leona, but Harry was happy with the boy's progress. They had spent nearly a week traveling since Harry was wanting to get Eragon started in on this new form of training, they would travel a few leagues and then stop to train for the rest of the evening and into the night. Harry's already toned body stayed in top shape and the scrappy farmer boy Eragon had been at one time was giving way to a well-muscled teen.

Eragon had endured a few other dreams of Arya, but they were so short and fleeting that Harry was considering it just being a replay. He had gone back to check on her the night before they made it to the walls of Dras-Leona and she was still in great condition, though she had not woken still. Harry ran a few scans on her and found nothing was wrong. He figured that she had locked her consciousness away in her mind to protect herself and hadn't chanced coming out of it yet. It was a blessing in truth that she had not awoken yet, as she would not want to be contained.

Gil'ead was far outside of Harry's longest apparating abilities, so he had to make three jumps with pauses in between. It wasn't a lack of magical ability that kept him from being able to move that far, he could move from one side of the Earth to the other with little problem. There seemed to be something about Alagaësia that kept him from moving as freely as he was used to. He hadn't tried taking others with him yet, but he figured it would not get any easier and he certainly couldn't make it into Ellesmera with all of its magical protections through apparation. Because of all this, he wouldn't be able to just take Arya away from Gil'ead and get her to the Varden (it was even further away) or the elves within the amount of time that he had. Eragon would go spare if he were to be missing for a day.

It pained him to leave the beautiful elf behind, but it was impossible for him to remove her from her situation right now. It was a pretty cushy situation now anyways because of the work he had done.

The trio were drawing to within a few days travel left to Dras-Leona, but Harry decided they should stop beside the shore of Leona Lake and have Saphira stay in the tree coverage in the area for the majority of the time they were in the city. It was well removed from any likely watchful eyes and did not see much traffic. They had just finished up their training session and Harry had sent Eragon to grab some water from a nearby offshoot from the lake to cook their dinner in for the night. Harry was gathering firewood not too far from the camp when he heard a low growl from Saphira and then the sound of heavy wind. He sent her a mental inquiry as to her actions and she told him Eragon had broken his wrist somehow. Harry gave a heavy sigh in response and made his way back to the camp to drop off the gathered wood and head in the direction he sensed the Dragon and her Rider to be in.

"Eragon found a fresh Urgal footprint!"Saphira all but shouted into Harry's mind. The wizened wizard quickened his steps and apparated to a halfway point between him and his charges. He took off at a run as he came out of the transportation without a single misstep. He skidded to a stop however and popped back to camp as he felt Saphira take flight and pass overhead. It would be easier to not have to try to explain why and how he was so close to them so quickly. Had they been in trouble it would have been a different matter. He set to work on getting their things packed up so that they could leave again when Eragon and Saphira made it back.

Saphira landed nearby and before Eragon could jump off, Harry waved him to stop, "Stay on Saphira, I'll travel with the horses. You'll be safer on her back." Harry commanded in a fierce voice.

Eragon stuttered for a few moments before getting his speech under control. "B-but what about you?"

Harry gave a scoff, "I'll be fine, now go, fly!" His attention shifted to the direction Eragon and Saphira had come from. A long blast of a horn was sliding through the night's air. It took a few seconds, but one much closer started up and Eragon and Saphira both turned in response to it. The pair finally followed Harry's advice and once more took to the sky while Harry mounted his horse and set off with Eragon's horse in tow.

Harry was thankful they had set out at the pace they had from Teirm. Since they had not been rushing or pushing their horses to their limits, the horses were well rested and were able to move along at a steady clip. Harry continued to hear the closest Urgal horn growing closer and closer each time it went off. He noticed however, that more than a few had slipped around him on either side and were slowly massing up in front of him. He knew they were treating him as though he were an animal, being herded to where they had him backed into a corner and surrounded on all sides. He looked forward to the fight that would come, hoping that they would at the very least be a small challenge to him: a good warm-up, perhaps. What he wasn't expecting however was for Eragon and Saphira to dive down between him and the gathered Urgals he was riding towards.

Cursing the boy's stupidity and rash actions, he kicked his heels into his horse a little harder and the horse reacted by sprinting forward a little faster. Harry and the horses arrived shortly after and Harry leapt from the horse as Eragon raised his uninjured hand and shouted a few words in the ancient language from Saphira's back. Harry saw as a couple of rocks lifted from the ground and zoomed towards a pair of Urgals. Harry drew his sword and began moving from one side to the other, striking down the ones Eragon did not get with his deadly stones. Another horn sounded from behind them and Harry adjusted himself between the two beings he had been trying to teach survival and fighting skills to. He was happy enough with the pair for their fighting skills, just not the rash actions that brought them into it.

Nearly ten Urgals stepped forward to where they were visible to the trio situated in the woods. Harry knew there were more in the tree line that he could not see though and didn't want to make the first move. The lead Urgals eyes glanced over the piles of Urgal corpses behind them and the hate that was already in his eyes as he looked at the three in front of him only grew in intensity. He gave a garbled yell and rushed forward. Once more, a pair of stones began a deadly dance and Saphira snapped up the ones who got too close to her. Harry had to work a little slower on these since they knew he was there, and grimaced each time he felt another Urgal slip away from where the fighting was. He tried to move towards others who were just along the outside of the tree line but there were still three more Urgals in the clearing and he could tell that Eragon was quickly tiring from his injury and the continued concentration on keeping the two stones moving fast enough to do actual damage to the Urgals.

He knew of five that slipped away and had just finished striking down one of the three when and Urgal stepped forward without attacking Eragon and stated, "Our Master wishes to speak with you. You will either come with us, or I will call my other hunting party to my aid, they wait just a little ways outside this tree line."

Harry sent out his senses and knew instantly that the Urgal was lying, but that was not the worrying part for him. Urgals had never called anyone that in the past from the information he knew of. This was building on the foundation that Harry had thought of about the Urgal attacks and movements not being as random as many people thought. "Stop lying, your scouts have already run off, and I will be hunting them down shortly. But do tell me, who is your master?" Harry asked harshly as he moved closer to the Urgal who was now alone, Eragon having taken out the second one just as the Urgal began speaking.

The Urgal gave him a Snape-worthy sneer in return. "His name does not deserve to be told to those as low and unimportant as yourselves. Now, Rider," he spat the word out like a soured drink, "You will come willingly or I will drag you to him."

Harry chuckled at the lone Urgal and then turned to Eragon and Saphira. "Deal with this you two. I have to go hunt down the ones that ran off so that word does not get out that a rider is moving about Alagaësia."

Harry spent the rest of the night trying to track down the Urgals that had run off while the trio fought those in the clearing. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to find one, even after going back through the woods and trying to track prints and scents of the Urgals from the start. He settled back into the camp area where Saphira was watching over Eragon while he slept. Harry moved over and gently picked up Eragon's hand and spoke a few words in the Ancient Language to heal the shattered bones in his wrist. He gave a huff as he sat himself down on the ground.

"Things will only get harder from here. Our presence will likely be known by tomorrow afternoon, and I can think of very little to do to try and extend our enjoyed state of secrecy." Harry stated wearily to Saphira. "We won't be able to stay long in Dras-Leona like I was hoping to so that Eragon could enjoy being in a town again like we were during our stay in Teirm. He has come quite a ways since we left Carvahall. You both did very well in the fight today, though it would have been better if Eragon hadn't been hurt so that he could have tested his skills with the blade, but I am content enough with what I saw." Harry stood and stretched.

"Get some rest Saphira. You will likely need to be on high alert once we get to Dras-Leona. Going into the city is much like us playing with fire, but we should top off our supplies before we try to make the trip to the Varden." Harry said as he moved over to his horse and belongings he had packed on it. He heard a mental acknowledgement from Saphira and a low rustling as her head dropped to the ground next to Eragon. Harry looked over his shoulder and pulled out a map of Alagaësia and another piece of parchment.

Moving over to a rock, he sat down and cast a spell to transfer the image of the map over to the black parchment. From there, he began layer spells over the newly created map that was slowly becoming fairly reminiscent of a special map of Hogwarts he had been given. Things were picking up and Harry was working to plan for any eventualities and, if Harry was honest, probabilities. The feeling that he wouldn't be accompanying Eragon to the Varden was growing stronger each day, partially because he knew it would be suicide to walk into the Varden impersonating Brom, but the ruse was getting tiring. He was not being as much help as he could be if he was not confined by Brom's known abilities. He was already pushing the boundaries of what Brom should know with many of the thought processes and training he had been passing to Eragon.

He enlarged the map a couple times to where it was about half as tall as he was, letting him give better details to the surrounding land. He put a mark on the map for where the Varden was hidden in the Beor Mountains and placed a rune into the parchment that would register where Eragon and Saphira were on the map. He gave a small smile as he set the password to reveal the enchantments he added and then wiped it. Smiling as the map cleared to where it looked like just another map. He rolled it up and placed it into one of Eragon's saddle pouches that was not opened very often.

Harry settled back onto the ground and cleared his mind, trying to get an idea for plans once he broke from Eragon's company. The big problem was he needed to leave the boy with a companion, just until he reached the Varden where he hoped to be able to join back up with the boy as himself, or someone that was not contained by other's expectations. He summoned out a pair of books he wanted Eragon to focus on reading before he reached the Varden and banished them into the same saddlebag as the augmented map. He then called a piece of parchment and quill to himself.

When he had first received Brom's memories, he wanted to tell Eragon who the man was, but decided it would be best for the training that had to follow if there was that barrier of separation. Eragon didn't really need an actual Father; especially one that was not really his father, he needed a father figure and that is what Harry was able to give him. All the same however, there were things Brom had wanted to say to the boy, and Harry knew Brom's mind well enough to know the man's reaction to how well Eragon had done and how much he had grown up since leaving his home. With all of this in mind, Harry started a letter to Eragon that he would give to the boy when 'Brom' died. Some may see it as harsh or uncaring towards the boy, but there was not really a better option available to him.

His hand stilled over the parchment as an idea came to him. He gave a small smile before starting to write a different letter than he had planned a moment ago. Much like the map had been spelled to conceal it's true purpose until the right phrase was spoken, he would spell this to only allow the first portion of it to be read and slowly allow more to be read as things happened or as Eragon learned and matured. It would require a tweaked version of an intent ward, an obscuring charm and the fidelliuscharm. He had a few emotional and mental stages he wanted the boy to achieve, and as he achieved them, he would be able to read more. The first few parts would be written much as he had acted around the boy, giving words of wisdom, books he should read (which would be left with him), things he should study and pay attention to, and encouragement to continue working hard with training. Further in, he would change the tone for the boy and slowly bring to a close this long journey and perhaps even end with the revelation of Brom being his father. He would include details about Brom's life, his hopes and dreams for Eragon and ultimately a blessing for the boy.

He mostly shut down the part of his mind that contained Harry, working endlessly until the sun began to rise. He had to pull our more pieces of parchment and add them to the already good-sized stack of papers and he spelled them all together, forming a rough spine on one side. As the pair in the camp with him became more restless in their sleep and showed signs of waking, he stood and made his way to his horse, storing it away so that he could work on it the next night. Acting normally, he woke Eragon and Saphira fully so that they would be ready to work on covering the distance to Dras-Leona over the next few days.

Their travels continued much like they had since their departure from Teirm, minus the Urgal attack. Harry was able to finish the letter by the end of the night before they went into the city. Rather than putting it in the saddlebag, Harry kept it on his person until the point in time he needed to give it over, just in case Eragon looked in the mostly unused pouch.

Dras-Leona was a beautiful city, despite being so close to Helgrind. They could discern the dark peaks easily against the eastern horizon and Harry was interested in going to scope it out. Harry told Eragon he had a few things to take care of and had to get the supplies they would need for the rest of the trip to the Varden from around the town. He deposited a handful of coins and sent the boy off with a smile and a caution to stay out of trouble.

There was plenty of trouble to be found in this city so Harry placed an inconspicuous proximity ward on Eragon's clothing so that he could be alerted if the boy did happen to find some trouble somewhere. The day went along easily for the better part of the morning and Harry was able to get everything he needed picked up. It was nearing noon though when Harry felt the wards he placed around Eragon get triggered and he set off in a brisk pace towards the town center, assuming Eragon would run back there since that is where they had split off. Arriving there in a short time, he subtly moved the magic that swirled around him into the pommel of his hilt and used it as the focus for a Point-Me charm. The magic adjusted the hilt of the sword to the side slightly and he turned until it pointed ahead. He continued his brisk walk in the direction the sword led him in and could easily make out the form of Eragon sprinting with two dark clothes a small distance behind him.

The two shadowy shapes split off and disappeared as Eragon drew closer to Harry and the wizard directed the Rider to go in front of him back to stable. They arrive with little problem and were able to gather their horses quickly. Eragon notified Saphira that he and Brom would be leaving the town shortly and that there might be a fight coming behind them. The pair was able to pack quickly and led their horses towards the gate with their hoods up and a secretly cast notice-me-not charm on them. They were leaving just in time as a group of soldiers came marching down the opposite side of the street and quickly stormed through the town center. Harry noticed the Ra'zac off to the side, standing in the shadows of one of the buildings. It seemed to be watching him and he hurried Eragon up, hoping the charm worked on the creatures. It didn't really look like it, though.

They were able to reach the gates without an alarm going up and the soldiers there were working to get the gates shut as a notification of two possibly escaping suspects was sent ahead to the wall guards. They slipped out of the gates as they slowly closed and the pair breathed a sigh of relief as they made their way towards the copse of trees that Saphira had decided to hide in.

They arrived with Harry fairly certain that they had not been followed, but he knew Brom's memories of the Ra'zac's abilities that extended into the insane supernatural realm for tracking things. He figured they should start moving once more before the night gained too much ground on the day's sunlight. The pair met up with Saphira and the three of them quickly moved on at Harry's urging. The group was able to put a few leagues between them and Dras-Leona, but Harry wasn't too sure it would be enough. He felt more confident in Eragon's skills with fighting and using magic, but twoRa'zac plus the King's soldiers would be an interesting challenge. Harry still didn't want to unleash some of his better hidden skills, since it should be humanly impossible for Brom to do even half the things Harry could.

"So how did they find you?" Harry asked as he got the least amount out for the camp that he could.

"I don't know. I had visited a temple in town, and while I was there, they just appeared behind me in the doorway." Eragon stated, doing the same thing as Brom when he noticed the few things that were unpacked for the night unlike most of their camp set-ups at night.

"Information was probably given that we were in the area from the Urgal that I couldn't find." Harry sighed, "Tonight will be extremely dangerous and will likely decide how the next few days go." Harry stated as they finished setting up camp for the night.

"Why is that? We got away, right? They didn't even know if we got out or not." Eragon asked confusedly.

"It is because the Ra'zac are hunting us now, even worse that it is at night when they are strongest. If it is just the two of them, we will likely get out all right, but should soldiers accompany them, it will be more difficult. We will have to trade off watches until morning." Harry stated simply. He started rolling out his bedding when Eragon stilled to one side of him. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in a breath. The time had come, he would put up a fight, likely take out one if he had the chance, but he knew he could not take the training with Eragon any further as Brom. The letter was the last bit that he could really do. Harry made his way back to where his horse was tethered and summoned all of his items to him and readied an item he had been lucky enough to grab before he arrived here in Alagaësia.

Taking on a cautious tone he asks, "What is it, Eragon?" He watched as the boy looked away from the darkened woods surrounding them.

Eragon sighed, "I guess it was nothing. I thought I had seen something move in the darkness though."

Harry drew his sword and stepped forward as a Ra'zac jumped from its hidden position in the tree line and knocked Eragon out. Harry heard Saphira roar and noticed another figure jump onto her snout and drop something to the ground on either side of her head. He ignored the Ra'zac that was now rushing forward in his direction to go after the one that was tying down Saphira. The dragon had not had more than a few seconds to respond before the supernatural monster had enough bands wrapped around pivot points on the dragon's body, that she could not exert her impressive strength to break from the bindings.

Harry rushed over to get the creature's attention from her and began to fiercely battle the being of darkness. Brom's memories of the Ra'zac were ones of stories and personal encounters. These creatures had hunted down riders and their dragons for Galbatorix after he and the Foresworn moved for power. They were not only trained to hunt down the stronger and magically equipped riders and be able to handle the rider's dragons as well, they were naturally gifted with stronger, faster bodies, heightened senses and cunning minds that made such training nearing a deadly level. Fighting two while trying to protect a dragon and unconscious rider would be almost like fighting a shade alone. Easy for Harry, if he could cut loose, but because Saphira was watching and Harry didn't want to bring suspicion to Brom since he was planning to let 'Brom' die, he had to do his best with skills Brom did have.

Thankfully he was able to speed himself up to something close to his true speed since that would raise few suspicions. He easily blocked the simultaneous strikes from the two Ra'zac and fended them off with little trouble. The pair couldn't keep up the tandem attack however, so one backed out while the one that had knocked out Eragon continued to attack him. Flowing easily with his blade, he beat away each of the strikes from the lone Ra'zac and was working to find a way to overcome the monster without anything too fancy.

Harry was hoping to keep the truth about the Brom everyone had known the past decade a secret. Impersonating a former associate, even if he did nothing but help the rider, would not look good to the Varden. He gave a backhanded lopping swing in response to an overextended slash and landed a deep blow on the arm of the Ra'zac. It hissed in pain and backed up while the other Ra'zac leapt forward. Harry continued on the defensive, trying to plan out his act so that he could leave the confines of Brom's persona while not leaving Eragon in a very poor position. His awareness of an approaching person drew his attention. He stretched his mind out even as he continued fighting off the Ra'zac. His responses were slowed slightly, but he was still able to keep up without hardly any trouble.

The person approaching was intently focused on finding the Ra'zac, ecstatic that he had found such a fresh trail. There was no feeling of ill intentions, but he could not get much more. The person had strong mental shields that made it difficult for his mind to be searched from so far away. Harry figured that anyone who wanted to hunt down a servant of Galbatorix could not be too bad, but it would be a little while before he was close enough to really help. What finalized Harry's decision was him sensing a small ball magic that he and others in Hogwarts had used to tag objects that they hid from each other. It had been a game they played throughout the castle. You would hide something with that small ball of magic, a spell Hermione had found, and other people had to try and find it through sensing the magic.

Harry returned to the fight that was happening around him and noticed that one of the Ra'zac had moved over next to Eragon and had picked the boy up by his hair. Harry made eye contact with the Ra'zac threatening the young rider and allowed his arm to hesitate in his next strike. The Ra'zac before him took the opening and slammed the pommel of his sword into the side of Harry's head. His vision flashed out for a few seconds and he allowed his legs to drop from under him, not trying to stand back up on instinct. The Ra'zac grabbed his hair roughly and dragged him in the direction of Eragon. The pair hissed towards each other about what they should do. Harry's head was tilted backwards forcefully and a liquid was dumped down his throat.

He could feel the potion trying to affect his mind and let it for a few moments to see how it would force him to respond before fighting it off. He schooled his features and reaction to something similar to the response the Ra'zac were expecting after having ingested the mind-affecting drink. He subtly took in his surroundings; Eragon was beginning to move a little more and Saphira was completely wrapped up in chains with shackles on her legs and a muzzle over her mouth. She shifted and growled constantly at the Ra'zac. She fought them and swung her head when they drew close to her and tried to fight until one of them hissed that they would kill 'the boy' if she continued on. She stilled slightly and looked in the direction of Harry and Eragon.

He internally sighed, it was the main weakness of Riders and their dragons, though he could not fault them with the bond they shared. Apparently Eragon began making movements as the two Ra'zac moved closer to him and began hissing at him.

"The drug is working yesss? I think you will not be bothering us again." One stated.

They spoke for a few moments but when one made a small threat to just kill Eragon right then, Harry took a chance and groaned softly to get the attention away from that topic. All it did was turn said topic onto him. He almost smiled as they dragged him towards the middle of the camp. The presence he had sensed earlier was drawing closer quickly and would be arriving off to the side of the clearing in a few seconds. One Ra'zac seemed to realize it as he sniffed the air. The creature raised his hand back, clutching a dagger and was dragging it down towards Harry's neck as an arrow shot from the darkness and pierced the Ra'zac in the shoulder.

With a screech, the creature dropped Harry and the pair of Ra'zac moved to take cover behind some boulders. Figuring the Ra'zac would likely try something if they weren't able to fight off the unseen attacker, Harry stumbled to his feet and made it look like he was struggling over towards Eragon. The boy yelled at him, but Harry paid him no mind. He dropped to the ground after positioning himself mostly between the Ra'zac and Eragon as they shifted to find cover once more from the arrows that had started flying in from a different place. The Ra'zac were hit a few times and their pained yells filled the night. The smaller one rushed out of the clearing, still dodging the arrows. The larger one looked around the campsite and grabbed the dagger once more. As a parting shot he looked directly at Eragon and threw it at the boy. Without bothering to act like the drug was still affecting him, Harry stood up quickly and blocked the dagger's trajectory with his stomach.

A wince of pain flashed through Harry's body and he could feel the poison that coated the dagger begin to rush through his body. From Eragon's position, who was behind him, it probably looked like his head rolled to the side, but he had focused on getting out the item he had grabbed before the Ra'zac came into the clearing, sorrow filling him at making Eragon go through this loss, but he knew the boy would become stronger through it. Harry's eyes tracked the movements of the person he had sensed earlier as they chased after the Ra'zac for a few hundred yards; likely making sure they did not double back to attack again. Harry looked over at Eragon, who had passed out once more and then over to Saphira who was watching the direction of the unknown savior. He made a few twisting motions and felt a tear slide down the side of his face at the thought of the pain this would bring Eragon for the next little bit of his trip, hoping the letter he left would help some of that.


End file.
